|
|||||
| Return to 2005 News Releases | |||||
|
|
News
Release |
||||
|
Joyce disappointed Hay Report recommendations being
implemented November 28, 2005
|
|||||
|
Eddie Joyce, MHA for the District of Bay of Islands, says he is very
disappointed that government has decided to move forward and implement
recommendations from the controversial Hay Report for the Western Health
Care Corporation, especially Recommendation 172. Joyce raised the issue in
today’s question period in the House of Assembly. Recommendation 172 of the Hay Report Best Practices Review for the Western Health Care Corporation states that elderly people on the wait list for long-term beds should be transferred to other communities in the western region until appropriate space is available in Corner Brook for their return transfer. This is nothing more than a cost-saving measure due to lack of funds from the provincial government. "It is absolutely cruel and inhumane to transfer seniors away from their family and friends in Corner Brook to live out their final years," said Mr. Joyce. "I have already spoken to people from Corner Brook whose loved ones have been transferred to other west coast communities without easy access to family and friends, and no guarantee they will ever move back to Corner Brook. This is a new low for a government trying to save a few dollars with $2 billion in the bank. "With the winter season quickly approaching, it will be very difficult for family and friends to travel hours on the highway to see their loved ones. If this is how government believes they are making investments and improving the health care system in this province, I suggest they re-evaluate their priorities because this decision is deplorable. "When I raised this issue last spring, the Premier accused me of playing politics. It certainly appears that the Premier was the one playing the politics and it is shameful that he is allowing this to happen to people who live in the district he represents. Government tried to hide this issue and sneak through its implementation, but I can guarantee the Premier and the Minister of Health and Community Services that I will challenge this mean-spirited and penny pinching decision that treats seniors in the Corner Brook area in such an inhumane manner. "I wrote several letters to the City of Corner Brook on this issue, yet the current Council has yet to take a stand. Mayor Pender sits on the Board of Directors of the Western Health Care Corporation and it is time the City of Corner Brook took a stand for the people they represent. This decision is wrong and should be reversed immediately. It is not fair to the elderly residents of our city and certainly not fair to their families." |
|||||
|
Media Contact: |
|||||
