| MPP MACLEOD DISAPPOINTED, URGES PLAN TO TAKE OTTAWA FROM WORST OF HEALTHCARE WAIT TIME LISTS |
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| Tuesday, 28 November 2006 19:00 |
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Premier dithers while Ottawa endures worst wait times in province. QUEEN’S PARK, November 29, 2006 – Ottawa continues to rank at the bottom of a growing number of healthcare wait times lists, the situation is getting worse, and the provincial government has no plan for dealing with the crisis, according to Nepean-Carleton MPP Lisa MacLeod. "First we learned Ottawa’s seniors have some of the highest wait lists in the province when it comes to trying to find a long term care bed. Then it was Ottawa’s children who have to wait longer than any other child in the province for pediatric surgeries. Then, just yesterday, we learn that Ottawa has the absolute worst wait times for radiation treatments in all of Ontario," remarked a disappointed MacLeod, who earlier today requested the Premier take real steps to address the City’s long wait times in the Ontario Legislature. According to published reports, prostate cancer surgery and heart bypass surgery waits are nearly twice as long in Ottawa as in the rest of the province. Hip replacement waits are 154 days in Ottawa versus the provincial average of 99 days and knee replacement waits are 194 days in Ottawa versus the provincial average of 146 days. "Either Ottawa is being terribly neglected, chronically underfunded, or both. This is another example of a McGuinty broken promise" said MacLeod, referring to the government’s promise to reduce wait times. "The fact is, that under this government, the people of Ottawa are not getting the health care they need - when they need it. What is the Premier going to do to turn around the health care crisis in his own hometown?" - 30 - For more information, contact: Stephen Gilman, Executive Assistant Phone: 613-823-2116 Cell: 613-297-2051 |