The following statement was given today in the House of Assembly by the Honourable Tom Osborne, Minister of Health and Community Services:

 Speaker, I rise in this Honourable House to recognize a significant milestone as we transform health care delivery in our province.

New urgent care centres are being added in St. John’s and Mount Pearl to provide timely access to care, reduce pressures on emergency departments, improve patient flow and resource allocation, and enhance the overall patient experience.

One urgent care centre will be located on Stavanger Drive and the other will be located near the intersection of Topsail Road and Blackmarsh Road.

Both new locations will include publicly funded health care provided by professionals employed by NL Health Services and are anticipated to open next year.

Mr. Speaker, we’ve all heard stories of people waiting lengthy periods in emergency department waiting rooms.

Patients who need urgent care for non-life-threatening health issues, such as sprains and strains, will be able to visit an urgent care centre to receive that care and will not have to wait behind patients who require emergency care, such as life-threatening health issues.

Urgent care services will play a crucial role in service delivery by providing timely and accessible care for non-life-threatening medical issues. Urgent care services are already being provided in Whitbourne and St. Lawrence and are supporting the delivery of health care in those areas.

Along with our actions such as establishing mobile primary care teams, expanding virtual care, and implementing the recommendations made by the Provincial Surgical Task Force to reduce surgical wait times, we are taking significant steps to reimagine our province’s health care system.

Thank you, Speaker.