HALIFAX — Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston and Health Minister Michelle Thompson are to meet later today with leaders in the province’s health-care sector.

The meeting comes as public pressure mounts for the government to address overcrowding and staff shortages in hospitals and emergency departments.

Concern has intensified after the recent deaths of two patients who had faced lengthy waits in emergency rooms.

Thirty-seven-year-old Allison Holthoff died following a seven-hour wait for treatment at the Cumberland Regional Health Centre emergency department in Amherst, N.S., on Dec. 31.

Sixty-seven-year-old Charlene Snow died after leaving the Cape Breton Regional Hospital ER on Dec. 30 after giving up on seeing a doctor about flu-like symptoms and jaw pain.

The Health Department says representatives from regulatory colleges, professional associations, educational institutions, unions and service providers are expected to attend the meeting in Halifax.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 17, 2023.

The Canadian Press