August 18, 2025
Statement from Matt MacFarlane on the reopening of the Prince County Hospital ICU
Charlottetown, PE – Earlier today, Health PEI announced the reopening of the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at the Prince County Hospital. This news is a direct result of the relentless dedication, professionalism, and teamwork of the physicians, nurses, and hospital administration, many of whom I’ve been in regular contact with over the past year. I’m truly inspired by their commitment to patient care and to their community.
The closure of the ICU was the number one issue I heard about during my by-election campaign eighteen months ago, and it remains a top concern to this day. Islanders were angry and frustrated with a government that refused to collaborate with the very ICU physicians and healthcare professionals it should have supported. That frustration reached a breaking point when hundreds of Islanders packed into a town hall at the Summerside Credit Union Place, voicing both their deep support for the hospital and their disappointment in the government’s inaction.
The PCH ICU closed in March 2023 when two of the three ICU physicians working at Prince County Hospital resigned after repeatedly asking for changes that would give them a safe and sustainable work-life balance. This government refused, and those physicians had no choice but to resign, leaving the western end of PEI without an ICU and only one in our entire province.
What’s most troubling is that this government appears to have learned nothing from this situation. Now, as government heads into mediation with Island family physicians, we’re seeing the same top-down approach, a refusal to collaborate, and policies that push doctors away instead of keeping them here. This kind of leadership continues to erode healthcare across the province.
To the incredible team at Prince County Hospital: thank you. Your hard work over the past two years made today’s reopening possible, and our Island’s healthcare system has greatly benefited from your perseverance.
As Leader of the Green Party of PEI, I will continue to stand with healthcare workers and hold this government to account to ensure we don’t repeat the same mistakes. Islanders deserve a government that protects and supports our frontline healthcare workers, not one that actively works against them.
Matt MacFarlane
Leader of the Green Party of PEI
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For media inquiries, please contact:
Katie Rankin
Chief of Staff
Office of the Third Party
Tel: (902) 213-6378
Email: kerankin@assembly.pe.ca