The Green Party of Nova Scotia views health and wellness in a broad sense, emphasizing healthy communities, healthy lifestyles and a healthy environment, not just health care. Strategies to reduce toxins in our environment, address the social determinants of health, and encourage healthy lifestyle choices are important components of the Green Party’s health plan.
The health of Nova Scotians is not only dependent on the health services they receive but on social policy that provides affordable housing, available employment, and accessible education. Health promotion is fiscally prudent and will lead to improved wellness and more affordable health care for Nova Scotians.
The Green Party strongly supports publicly funded health care, which should include both the removal of the financial barrier for the patient, and the reorganization and revamping of the health care social support system. The Green Party believes the Canadian single-payer system has the potential to be affordable, effective and provide care for all Nova Scotians. However, this system requires a change from the current reactive-focused health care system to the implementation of long-term strategies to promote health, prevent illness and build healthy
communities.
The Green Party recognizes that in spite of large annual monetary commitments Nova Scotians are still facing several significant challenges to accessing the health care they need and want in their communities. Lack of family physicians, emergency room closures and long wait times, and high drug costs are all crucial challenges facing the health care system in Nova Scotia. The Green Party offers a vision to reform the current system, to tackle these issues and plan for viable, sustainable health care in Nova Scotia for generations to come.