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Jones urges government to implement a more effective cancer
screening system May 16, 2006
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Yvonne Jones, MHA for the District of Cartwright L’Anse Au Clair and
Opposition Health Critic, calls the cancer screening process in the province
largely insufficient and she is strongly urging government to immediately
address this serious shortfall in the health care system. "According to the Newfoundland and Labrador Cancer Society, breast screening in this province has been described as ad hoc and willy nilly," says Jones. "In fact, we are only reaching 40 per cent of the women we wish to target and that is simply not acceptable by any standards, especially by Canadian criteria. It is a scandalous statistic and it is even more appalling for rural women because the further you move outside the St. John’s area, the higher the number of those not properly screened. "What inflames this situation is that the minister of health has shockingly stated, in response to my questions in the House of Assembly on April 12th, that his government has addressed breast cancer. He is clearly not fulfilling his obligation as minister in providing the best leadership on health care improvements. "Not only is the screening process grossly inadequate for breast cancer, screening for cervical and colorectal cancers is also considered largely inadequate. We have one of the highest rates of colorectal cancer mainly because we have a genetic component which drives this disease. Yet, given the prevalence of this disease in our province and the inexpensive method for screening, this government has not implemented a full screening process to bring it under control, or at the very least wrestle it down to a North American standard. "It is most troublesome to see the government being so passive about an issue that is of great concern to many Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. With our aging population, cancer rates in our province is expected to climb by 60 per cent in the next several decades. The inaction by this government today will have a long-term negative impact on people’s health in the future. Ask people if this is the right choice and there is little doubt that government’s less than proactive and caring approach to this issue would be given a poor bill of health."
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