The need to address surgical backlogs and long waits for diagnostic and surgical procedures

 

On Thursday March 24^th I had an opportunity to ask a question and to speak on a resolution focused on the need to address surgical backlogs in Manitoba. 

My Question: 

Hon. Jon Gerrard (River Heights): Mr. Deputy Speaker, the question I have relates to the wait-list of 168,000 provided by doctors. The gov­ern­ment seems to provide numbers, which, if you can believe them, are lower than this.     Is there a problem in the way that the gov­ern­ment provides its numbers? Or where is the discrepancy?

      What–why are the gov­ern­ment not provi­ding accurate numbers, if that's the case?

[I was not given an answer]

My Speech on the Resolution on Surgical Backlogs 

Hon. Jon Gerrard (River Heights): Mr. Deputy Speaker, wait-lists and backlogs are far too long and far too high. Doctors Manitoba reports we have 168,000 Manitobans waiting for diag­nos­tic or surgical procedures.

      We don't even have a report with numbers from the gov­ern­ment, but the doctors have a lot of credibility–in fact, probably considerably more than the gov­ern­ment at this juncture.

      People are losing their sight; they're losing their mobility; they're not able to work because they are waiting and even some people are dying.

      This is a result, in part, of very poor planning during the pandemic itself. The backlog should have been addressed starting in May of 2020, almost two years ago, with plans. Instead, the gov­ern­ment delayed, delayed and delayed. Other provinces did much better and don't have as much in the way of backlogs.

      We need to address these long wait-lists. We need to measure wait times better so they more accurately reflect what's actually happening. We've suggested as well that the gov­ern­ment remove the cap on surgical procedures. It's a NDP-PC cap that's been there for a long while. There's no reason or rationale for that except that it delays people more.

      We've called on the gov­ern­ment to provide the critical funding needed so that more eye surgeries can be done and more procedures can be done to make up this deficit.

      We are far behind when it comes to eye surgeries. The latest numbers I have for WRHA alone is almost 10,000 people on the wait-list for eye surgery. It is unbelievable that there is no ophthalmologist on the task force, given how im­por­tant this is to so many people.

      The in­cred­ible costs of such delayed surgeries are large in falls, in injuries because people can't see as well as they need to; the extra costs of people not being able to work; the extra costs of the procedures being more complicated when the surgery is not done as quickly.

      The cataracts get harder, more difficult to remove, and this is typical not just of eye surgeries but of others as well. Getting things done quickly and on time actually saves money.

      The NDP have talked about trusting the NDP but the fact is that the NDP left a mess. There were large wait-lists for eye surgeries and for other surgeries when they left office, and there was clearly major things which needed to be addressed.

      The gov­ern­ment has allocated $50 million, but we have no idea what that's based on or how it's going to be spent because the gov­ern­ment has not given us a plan, and the estimates that we've seen are that it's probably going to be a lot more costly than that.

      I've been getting calls daily of people who are waiting on the backlog who are in pain, who need these surgeries if they're going to live, if they're going to work. There's a lot to be done. It needs to be done quickly instead of waiting and waiting.

      I called on the Minister of Health (Ms. Gordon) to act in a question in question period on March the 3rd. She said they would have their wait time report the next day on March the 4th, but it didn't arrive and it still hasn't arrived.

      This gov­ern­ment is late, it is in trouble and it is not doing well on health care, Mr. Speaker.