NLIS 2 (Health and Community Services) Improving
wait times for health services The Williams government is
investing a further $717,500 in Budget 2006 to improve wait times in the
province, said Health and Community Services Minister Tom Osborne.
As a result of investments in last year�s budget, government
has seen slight improvements in wait times in the third quarter ending Approximately $500,000 in Budget
2006 will support a new wait time management team, comprised of new
positions in each of the four regional integrated health authorities, to
effectively manage wait times in the province.
An additional $217,500 will be invested to hire two additional
cardiac perfusionists. The
perfusionist is the member of the cardiac surgery team who is
responsible for the operation of the heart-lung machine during cardiac
surgery. These positions are
expected to help in addressing wait times and also with recruitment and
retention to ensure that there are sufficient resources available at all
times to meet the surgery demands. �I am pleased to say that we have made slight
improvements in wait times for the five priority areas agreed on by the
First Ministers� Accord,� said Minister Osborne. �Since
our announcement in December 2005, we have seen reduced wait times in
some areas which ultimately means improved access to health care
services for the residents of our province.� Since the December 2005 update on
wait times, the province has seen a reduction in wait times for curative
radiotherapy, cardiac procedures, cataract and knee replacements, with a
slight increase in the wait time for hip replacements.
While indicators for cervical screening and mammography are
measured annually, government has invested significantly in Budget 2006
to strengthen cancer screening and prevention.
(See attached table.) �Early
detection is the key to survival for both breast and cervical cancer and
government is committed to improving access to, and promotion of, cancer
screening services,� said Minister Osborne.
�In Budget 2006, we invested $1.5
million to strengthen resources in preventing cancer and expand the
Cervical Screening Program into the Eastern and Labrador-Grenfell
regions. Through increased public education, the program will aim to
increase cervical screening rates this year. Additionally, we invested
$750,000 towards a new breast screening centre in Grand Falls-Windsor
and to expand the existing breast screening centre in Minister
Osborne added that, while wait times are improving, they will tend to
fluctuate over time and we may see variations in each reporting period,
depending on the number of new cases and the time of year they are
reported. �Within
the province, we are developing wait list management strategies and
monitoring wait times in partnership with regional health authorities
and health care professionals,� said Minister Osborne. �We
will continue to report our progress on wait times provincially on a
regular basis.� One of the commitments of the 2004 First Ministers�
(FMM) Health Accord signed in September 2004 by Premier Williams and all
other first ministers was to improve access to health services in
priority areas such as cancer, heart, diagnostics, joint replacements
and sight restoration. The
first set of pan-Canadian benchmarks, released in December 2005, is
based on available research and clinical evidence. They do not apply to
emergency procedures as patients requiring emergency care will continue
to be treated on a priority basis. Additional benchmarks will be
developed as further research is undertaken and new clinical evidence is
produced. A wait time begins with the booking of a service when the
patient and the appropriate physician agree to a service and the patient
is ready to receive it. Benchmarks are not �care guarantees� or
legal obligations to individual patients. Media
contact: Tansy Mundon,
Communications, (709) 729-1377, 685-1741 BACKGROUNDER
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