(August 17, 2023, St. John’s) – Paul Dinn, PC Official Opposition Shadow Minister for Health and Community Services and MHA for Topsail-Paradise, says despite promises and smiles for the camera, the Liberal Government has yet to reduce the waitlist for hip and knee joint replacements in Newfoundland and Labrador.

According to documents gained through Access to Information, the waitlist for hip and knee joint replacement was 3,100 people as of April. As of July, the waitlist was 3,089.

“The efforts to reduce the surgical backlog in Newfoundland and Labrador have not seen the results needed for patients and families who must endure lengthy waits. The Premier has touted new strategies to improve access to hip and knee replacements, but the numbers show it’s not moving the needle,” said Dinn.

“Now, even the Deputy Minister of Health Transformation is showing a lack of confidence that the Minister will be able to implement all 32 recommendations to reduce surgical wait times in our province, stating it is ‘probably not a reasonable thought’ in comments to media.”

Dinn says focusing on recruitment and retention of healthcare professionals is key to improving access to care for the people of our province.

“The Newfoundland and Labrador Medical Association is now estimating 144,000 people are without access to a family doctor in Newfoundland and Labrador. The lack of access to primary care has ripple effects throughout our healthcare system, including onto the surgical backlog” said Dinn.

“The people of Newfoundland and Labrador need timely access to healthcare, and they’re just not getting it after eight years of inaction by the Liberal Government on this critical issue. These issues existed before the pandemic, yet we are still waiting for meaningful action from this government to improve access to healthcare in Newfoundland and Labrador.”

-30-

Contacts:

David Maher

Director of Strategic Communications

(cell) 709-725-0984

DavidMaher@gov.nl.ca