News Release
Office of the Official Opposition

Opposition concerned about depth of health crisis
May 30, 2007

Liberal Opposition MHA , Yvonne Jones, says the increasing  number of challenges now compromising health care in the province is troubling and she questions whether government is doing enough in its leadership role to be more proactive to head off problems before they turn serious. 

The Liberal MHA points out that even in recent months, the health care system has been besieged by a number of  problems, including those relating to false results in breast hormone testing, a shortage of specialists including pathologists and nursing staff, excessive wait times in emergency rooms, laboratory reclassification, the proposed hiring of unskilled workers for nursing homes, a radiology services review, delayed opening of dialysis services, as well as insufficient pay for  home care support wokers and pharmacists.  Jones further notes that these problems do not operate in isolation without creating  a wider circle of problems that further undermines the quality of care being provided throughout our heath system. 

AClearly, something is amiss in our health care system in this province today and the public=s confidence continues to erode on a daily basis,@ says Jones.  AI am concerned not just for what is currently unfolding, but about any further deterioration in service. For example, this government has been in for nearly four years and has failed to deal with the shortage of nurses which is now at the centre of the nursing problem in our province.@ 

While the Liberal MHA supports the recently appointed inquiry into the faulty breast testing, she feels that perhaps  a broader preliminary  review may be in order at this time to assess all aspects of health care services in the province.   AThis is not something that we can let slide until more problems bubble to the surface and it gets further out of control. This is something that ought to be examined now to contain the impact of future problems and how they may be immediately addressed in the short-term and in the long-term.@

Media Contact:
Kim Ploughman
Caucus Communications
Office of the Official Opposition
709-729-6427