Statement from PC Health Critic Kathleen Cook on Trend of Worsening Wait Times Under NDP

WINNIPEG — Roblin MLA Kathleen Cook, PC Critic for Health, issued the following statement today on the observable trend of rising wait times under the NDP:

“Despite claiming to be increasing surgical capacity, it has recently been revealed that the NDP have cut surgical capacity in Manitoba by over 3,000 surgeries thus far.

“The NDP refuse to transparently discuss which of the previously-signed agreements with public and private clinics to expand surgical capacity have been cut or altered. We have been calling on them to do so since April.

“Manitobans are waiting longer for surgical and diagnostic procedures in Manitoba under the NDP. This is now clearly a trend.

“Cataract wait times have consistently trended upwards since the NDP took office.

“Hip and knee wait times have increased by over six weeks provincewide since October.

“MRI wait times for adults at the Health Sciences Centre have increased by eight weeks since October, and at St. Boniface Hospital they’ve increased by 14 weeks.

“These wait times do not account for the amount of time someone had been waiting to even get in to see a doctor or a specialist.

“Any changes to the previously signed agreements will impact thousands of Manitobans waiting in pain. The NDP need to stop putting their ideological politics over patients in Manitoba.

“The NDP cancelled out-of-province surgical options, now they’re cutting surgical options that were previously available here in the province. Manitobans deserve transparency from the NDP on which agreements have been altered, and if the NDP are choosing to end all or some of the agreements with private clinics.

“Manitobans deserve to know how many procedures won’t be happening this year, and how much longer they’ll be waiting, thanks to the NDP.”

-30-

For media inquiries, please contact media@pcmanitoba.com