Perth-Wellington MPP Randy Pettapiece is speaking out about surgery wait times.
Pettapiece says the province is forcing people to wait in pain – over a year, in some cases – for necessary surgery.
During question period, on Oct. 9 Pettapiece stated, “Constituents tell me they’ve been stranded on wait lists for necessary surgeries. Is this the kind of system the premier is proud of?”
In the last year alone, Pettapiece said he has heard from many constituents forced to wait in pain for hip and knee replacements, back surgery, thyroid cancer surgery and a stem cell transplant.
“This Liberal government’s years of waste and mismanagement have real consequences on the services we most value,” said Pettapiece.
“The operating space is available, the hospital staff are ready, but the government won’t provide the essential funding.”
In response, Minister of Health and Long-Term Care Eric Hoskins said it “boggles the mind” that Pettapiece’s Conservative party voted against initiatives to add $1 billion to the health care system, including $345 million for hospitals, some of which was “invested in bringing down wait times.”
Hoskins said the government has made progress in reducing wait times.
“We’ve made, I would describe it as dramatic progress,” he said. “We’re among the best in Canada, better than many jurisdictions around the world. Do we have more work to do? Of course. That’s why we’re making these investments. It’s too bad they (Conservatives) didn’t support them.”
In a press release, Pettapiece stated that while the government tracks wait times for surgeries, the calculation does not include the period of time between the referral by a family doctor to a surgeon, and the wait time to actually meet with the surgeon.
“The government’s advertised wait times do not accurately reflect the length of time people are waiting for surgeries,” said Pettapiece.
“In fact, media reports show that in southwestern Ontario, wait times are no better today than they were when the Liberals first started tracking them in 2005 … Patients deserve better.”
