Timeline for palliative care centre still unknown

It's been two years since the Government of Prince Edward Island announced it would construct a new stand-alone palliative care facility in Charlottetown, but there's still no timeline to build the facility.

Right now, palliative care beds are in a unit of the Prince Edward Home. But residents in that long-term care facility will be moving to their new nursing home in the spring.

The palliative care unit will remain at the 80-year-old building.

"We are still committed to the project," said Health Minister Doug Currie. "If you look at capital budgets, there are all kinds of competing pressures on infrastructure dollars and certainly all of them are very important priorities."

Currie said he considers the palliative care project to be an important commitment.

"I have to be respectful of the commitment that infrastructure has gotten on the health care budget. So we will see this project come to fruition."

The province purchased land for the facility near the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. It committed $5.6 million for the project in the 2011-2012 capital budget.

"With the opening of the new ambulatory facility, the emergency room, the new dialysis, there's all kinds of competing pressures on infrastructure dollars and all of them are very, very important priorities," said Currie.

Officials with the Hospice Palliative Care Association of Prince Edward Island said they have faith the government will make good on its promise.