Kootenay-Monashee MLA and Parliamentary Secretary for Rural Development Steve Morissette has acknowledged the concerns of resident over the closure of Trail’s medical lab but backs the decision for stronger services for the region.
“We’ve been hearing from constituents through my office, and myself personally, and I totally understand that it’s concerning for them. It’s always difficult when rural services see changes,” said Morissette.
“It’s important that we’re supporting and strengthening access to medical services.”
“But we also have to realize the Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital in Trail, it serves a large rural area and it’s important that we have the strongest services possible there. And as I understand it, IHA made this difficult decision in order to get more technicians in the hospital for urgent care, That’s number one priority.”
The solution? The only one MLA Morisette can see is more people.
“We need more health professionals in every type of work in healthcare, and that’s the issue. We hear of emergency room closures for short times and so on, but we need more healthcare professionals.”
The Trail Health Centre Lab will close July 28.
Be the first to know! Don’t miss out on breaking news and daily updates in your area. Sign up to MyKootenayNowNews Alerts.
