The leader of the province’s NDP is calling on Health Minister John Haggie to acknowledge the impacts the doctor shortage is having on people in the province.
During comments made on Tuesday, Haggie suggested that there are challenges facing the healthcare system, but he’s not ready to declare it a crisis yet.
Further, he assured that they do have short, medium, and long term plans in place to address the issue, which will culminate with the health accord.
(File photo)
Allison Coffin, who has been without a family physician for three years, insists that the situation is a crisis, and that it should be “obvious” to minister Haggie.
She says it’s a problem that persists in every community she visits. She says people are suffering due to the situation, and says Haggie is being “flippant” about the realities faced by people across the province, saying government is “out of touch” with every day people.
She says government must continue to listen to workers so that any human resources plan can have an impact.
Independent MHA Accuses Health Minister of Downplaying the Issues
The Independent MHA for Mount Pearl-Southlands is criticizing the Minister of Health for his response to many of the issues in the healthcare system.
MHA Paul Lane is accusing Haggie of downplaying the issues, specifically the province’s doctor shortage. He says if the Minister does not believe this is a crisis, he should see what is happening on the frontlines first-hand.
Lane says that while everyone is looking towards the Health Accord, solutions for the short-term need to be made, and that can only come after Haggie acknowledges the problem.
He compares Haggie’s response to Emperor Nero playing his violin while Rome burned.
