Long medical waitlists need corrective action, not rhetoric says Opposition

Kelvin Parsons, MHA for the District of Burgeo-LaPoile, says government is failing to meet the health care requirements of the people of this province and is calling upon the minister of health to take this matter seriously and address the gaps in service for those awaiting surgical procedures.     

Parsons raised the issue of delays in medical wait times in the House of Assembly today following numerous reports of delayed and cancelled cardiac surgeries from concerned patients. The most recent incident involves an individual who has been awaiting emergency surgery for six weeks. Each time he was scheduled for surgery, it was cancelled at the last minute. Last week, he was sedated when he was advised that the surgery would not take place. The family has been told that these delays are the result of a lack of beds in the Intensive Care Unit.

“These issues are very worrisome and are not new,” said Mr. Parsons. “We continuously hear of these types of delays and are always reassured by government that the issue is being addressed. The minister finally admitted today that there are problems that need to be corrected and I challenge him to finally do something so patients are not continuously impacted by cancelled surgeries.”

Parsons also raised questions regarding the release of a Canada-wide report by the Wait Time Alliance, a collaboration of some 14 national medical organizations. One of the criticisms directed at Newfoundland and Labrador was that government has not updated its information on wait-times listings for over six months.    

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