Few things are more important to Nova Scotians than the health of their families. Timely access to health care is critical to Nova Scotians and to our provincial health care system. That's why reducing wait times is one of my government's five key priorities.

Already we have invested in new MRIs and expanded and added oncology clinics. We are making good progress towards our goal of a wait-time guarantee of eight weeks for patients needing radiation therapy. Wait times for cardiac in the Capital District have greatly improved and are within national standards.

In our budget, we announced an investment of $3.96 million in a Selfcare/Telecare service that will allow Nova Scotians to talk to nurses who can provide information and direct them to the appropriate place for service. We expect this to reduce the number of emergency room visits.

These are all valuable initiatives that will introduce positive change to our health care system. We have reached a turning point for health care in our province. We must transform the system. We simply can't continue to do things the same way and expect different results.

That's why we've invested in one of our most innovative projects yet – a demonstration project between Capital Health and Dartmouth's Scotia Surgery Inc., that will allow 500 more orthopedic patients to be treated in the next year.

We believe that by providing this publicly insured option, we will break the log jam that has so many Nova Scotian waiting for orthopedic procedures. It will also free up space in the operating rooms of the VG and Dartmouth General Hospitals for surgeons to tackle more complex surgeries.

At $1 million, the demonstration project is a relatively modest investment in our $3 billion healthcare system. But it is a tangible example of our efforts to effect change in Nova Scotia's health care system. And early results are positive.

So far, 172 procedures have been completed in 33 days of operating at Scotia Surgery. About 60 percent of the cases have been knee scopes. The procedures have been completed very efficiently and most days have been completed well ahead of the allocated time.

Most importantly, Nova Scotians are satisfied with their treatment at Scotia Surgery. In patient surveys, 81 percent of those who were treated at Scotia Surgery indicated they had their surgery sooner than they expected. More than 95 percent said that the location was convenient.

Every respondent - 100 percent – said the environment at Scotia Surgery was comfortable, the physician gave them sufficient information and the nurse was able to answer their questions.

Every respondent said they had been treated with respect by all staff and that instructions were given for care at home. None of the respondents said they had any concerns about having their surgery at a private facility.

Nova Scotia has a strong public health care system and we are committed to maintaining and improving it. Augmentations to the system, such as the pilot project at Scotia Surgery make sense if they help patients get the treatment they need faster.

And as mentioned earlier, we will be announcing further measures in the coming weeks.