MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the
Opposition.
MS JONES:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I stand today and I present a
petition on behalf of the residents in the District of
The Isles of Notre Dame.
Mr. Speaker, people in this
particular district are not happy with government’s
decision to basically take five acute care beds out of
their health care facility and have them redesignated
for other use. Although people in the area wanted to see
restorative care beds placed in their hospital in
Twillingate-New World Island area, Mr. Speaker, they did
not want to lose five acute care beds. They sent a
petition to the House of Assembly, and I will read the
prayer of the petition:
WHEREAS
there were fifteen acute care beds in the Notre Dame Bay
Memorial Hospital Health Centre; and
WHEREAS
five of the acute care beds closed last summer and did
not reopen in the fall; and
WHEREAS
the availability of acute care beds is critical to the
people of Twillingate-New World Island; and
WHEREAS
the shortage of acute care beds is resulting in people
being denied admittance to Notre Dame Bay Memorial
Hospital Health Centre; and
WHEREAS
the people of Twillingate-New World Island do not want
to see their health care services cut;
WHEREUPON
the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly pray and ask
the House of Assembly to urge government to reinstate
the five acute care beds in the Notre Dame Bay Memorial
Hospital Health Centre.
Mr. Speaker, people all over the
area of Twillingate and New World Island, all of the
communities in that region, and I have listed a number
of them in the House of Assembly on other occasions when
I have been presenting this particular petition, but
there are people from communities like Durrell, Herring
Neck, Bayview, Moreton’s Harbour, Valley Pond,
Bridgeport, Summerford, Virgin Arm, Cottlesville,
Twillingate, Carter’s Cove, Too Good Arm, Cow Head and
there are a whole host of them, Mr. Speaker, of
communities where people have signed this petition
because they are not happy with the decision that
government has made.
Mr. Speaker, not only did
government close down the five acute care beds for the
summer and not reopen them in the fall, but they then
redesignated those beds to restorative care and actually
went out and made a public announcement –
MR. DALLEY:
A point of order, Mr. Speaker.
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
The hon. the Minister of Business,
on a point of order?
MR. DALLEY:
Yes, Mr. Speaker.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of Business.
MR. DALLEY:
Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the
Opposition continuously stands in this House –
obviously, she does not have her facts right on this
petition. There are seventeen acute care beds in the
Twillingate facility, Notre Dame Bay Memorial Hospital.
There are seventeen beds available as a result of the
new improved services in restorative care. There are
still seventeen beds available (inaudible).
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
There is no point of order.
I ask the hon. member to carry on
with her petition.
MS JONES:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The Member for The Isles of Notre
Dame is smart enough to stand in his place in this House
and try to make smart comments –
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
MS JONES:
- but I would like to remind the
member for the area, if he was paying attention to his
constituents he would know the information that I
provided on the fifteen beds is what is in their
petition. So you go back and tell your constituents now,
Member, that they do not know what they are talking
about, the thousands of them who sent this here. You go
back and tell them as their MHA, I am sorry but you do
not know what you are talking about, and maybe then you
might be able to get…
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
I remind the hon. member that her
time for presenting the petition is up, and I remind
hon. members that petitions are wishes of constituents.
It is not meant to be entered into debate here. It is to
present a petition and present the petition only.
