In an area already experiencing a doctor shortage, health officials are now calling for an upgrade to the aging equipment in their hospitals.
Doctors in Cape Breton say outdated medical instruments could hinder anyone thinking about coming to work at Cape Breton Regional Hospital.
“The old technologies are on their way out,” said anesthesiologist Dr. Victor Hugo. “It is hard to get parts and get maintenance on them.”
A campaign called Operation Heart was launched Tuesday, which is calling on the community to raise $1.4 million for new technology.
They’re hoping to reach their goal by this time next year.
“We have to be up-to-date with the technology, otherwise we're going to be behind. We won't be able to provide to our patients safer care,” said Dr. Hugo.
More than 11,000 surgeries are performed at Cape Breton Regional Hospital and over 7,000 Cape Breton residents have been diagnosed with heart disease.
“It's a very high-risk period for patients, so having monitors that are up to date and effective is crucial,” said Dr. Paul MacDonald, head of cardiology at the hospital. “Our hospitals monitors are about 20 years old and really do need to be replaced.”
At a rally last week in Sydney, over 1,000 residents voiced their concerns about the healthcare system in the province.
Progressive Conservative MLA Alfie MacLeod, who helped organize the rally, says he's surprised the community is being asked to fund new medical upgrades.
“The question has always been, ‘Why are so many doctors leaving?’ Well, maybe now we're hearing part of the answer,” said MacLeod.
Doctors say they’ve met physicians interested in coming to Cape Breton, but will only do so if specific pieces of equipment are available.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Kyle Moore.
