MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Opposition House Leader.

MR. KELVIN PARSONS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I appreciate an eleventh opportunity to present a petition on behalf of the residents of Southwestern Newfoundland with respect to the lack of dialysis services that exist in that particular area.

At any given time, we have nine to ten residents – and this has been the history now for years – who travel to Corner Brook to get this service. It is an obvious three-hour trip at best, and in winter time it is usually more than that. Quite often they get in and don’t get back, and quite often they can’t get in due to the weather conditions.

There is no question that the need to have such a service available in the community exists. It has been proven to the officials at Western and it has been proven to the officials in the department that the need exists, so that is not a question. The question is: How do we go about solving the problem? There have been several solutions offered. The people out in that area, particularly the officials at the Charles L. Legrow Health Centre who deal with this day in and day out, and the people in Corner Brook – I believe the nephrologist in Corner Brook and the Chief of Staff in Port aux Basques are putting together a proposal to deal with the issue.

The question is: We have never had much support before from the department. We have seen an acknowledgement by the department. They have tried to help out in other places. They have done a piece of work up in St. Anthony, they have done a piece of work in Grand Bank, and I believe in Carbonear, but, Mr. Speaker, the people of Southwestern Newfoundland deserve no less. In fact, they have equally onerous circumstances when it comes to travel as any of those people located in those other areas, particularly when it comes to Carbonear, for example. I certainly see no distinction or why they had a worse case scenario in Carbonear.

I say to the minister, and for the benefit of the Member for Gander, who might have confused what I said yesterday, what I did say yesterday in regard to fundraising, is that the people of Southwestern Newfoundland are prepared to pay totally for their equipment themselves.

All they are saying is, if government can see themselves clear to provide some money and funding in that regard it would be much appreciated, but do not let the money be a hang-up to provision of the services.

The second comment I made was about the training that is required, and the staff in that area in Port aux Basques are prepared to undergo the time that it takes – I believe it is somewhere between a six- and ten-week course – to be properly trained to do the service.

So, if you have the equipment - we obviously have the need - and you have the people who are prepared to do the training, I do not know why the Department of Health would not be prepared to commit to it – and we have a place to do it. For example, we have a facility in Port aux Basques which can accommodate that particular service.

So, again, we implore the minister to please deal with this issue, look at it, and at least show that he is making some attempt to familiarize himself with the issue and hopefully see some resolution to this problem.