The NDP MHA for Labrador West is pushing to have Labradorians who travel for treatment accommodated as the health care system deals with mass cancellations in the wake of a major system failure.

Currently, Eastern Health is only accepting emergencies due to the situation, meaning thousands of appointments have been cancelled. That’s causing a headache for people who live in Labrador and travel to the region to undergo treatment.

Labrador West MHA Jordan Brown states that Labradorians should receive priority for rebooking.

As well, Brown states that currently the costs covered by the medical transportation program decrease with each trip made.

He says for one trip the patient will receive a full reimbursement, but for each additional trip made that amount decreases by 50 per cent.

He is asking the minister to lift that penalty so that those who have to rebook aren’t out additional money for doing so.