Municipality of the District of Guysborough’s Deputy Warden Janet Peitzsche told councillors at the regular monthly council meeting in Guysborough on Wednesday, that the lack of physicians at Eastern Memorial Hospital continues, resulting in closures of the emergency department for as many as two weeks in a row.

Councillor Paul Long reported that emergency department closures continue to be an issue in Guysborough as well, despite the hiring last year of several new physicians at Guysborough Memorial Hospital.

When both emergency departments are closed at the same time, a person in Canso must travel to Antigonish, a distance of just over 100 kms, to receive urgent care.

The community, said Peitzsche, is very concerned about the situation.