Consultation
would have told government that health cuts are wrong
If government had consulted with the people of
Flower’s Cove before gutting their health care facility they would have
recognized that it was unrealistic to reduce the clinic’s hours of
operation long before now, says Opposition Leader Yvonne Jones.
Earlier today, Health and Community Services Minister
Paul Oram announced that the health clinic in Flower’s Cove would be
reinstated to a 24-hour facility. While the hours of operation issue was
addressed, the minister still refuses to reinstate the x-ray and lab
services that he removed from the facility.
“I am pleased that the minister finally realized
that his decision was flawed and I can only hope he made this reversal for
the right reasons,” said Ms. Jones. “These types of decision-making
errors occur when you refuse to consult with the people who are affected,
and this minister refused to consult with people until a by-election was
in sight. I can only hope he recognizes that his cuts to lab and x-ray
services are just as unacceptable and the pressure of the people will
ensure he recognizes his error in judgment.
“All of the protests that have taken place in the
province, and the protests that are still to come, are because people want
to save their rural health services. If the minister took time to listen
to that message he would recognize that his cuts will achieve very little.
“This government may think that this partial reversal
of the cuts in Flower’s Cove will relieve some pressure, but until the
x-ray and lab services are reinstated people will still be forced to
travel hundreds of kilometers to receive basic health care services. This
government’s philosophy of giving something up to get something back is
not acceptable. The people won’t be satisfied until they get all of the
services back that this government so ruthlessly took away.”
