November 26, 1997
(Health)

The following statement was issued today by Joan Marie Aylward, Minister of Health. It was also read in the House of Assembly:

Over the last few days we have heard numerous irresponsible and baseless comments which I feel must be addressed to negate the fear mongering by the Opposition and to help restore the faith people have in the public health system we enjoy in this province.

We have heard the Opposition say people should remain in hospital for longer periods in order to receive better medical care. That is false. In fact, throughout this country and indeed throughout North America, people need less time in hospital to receive the effective medical attention they require. In a study by the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy and Evaluation, and reported in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, it was determined that hospital bed closures have not been at the expense of patients' health. The report further revealed that while hospital stays have gotten shorter, some hospitals still keep patients longer than appears necessary. The results of this study were similar to American studies and obviously have more merit than the misinformation of the Opposition.

We have heard from the Opposition Critic, through the media, that there is a plan to reduce the beds in the St. John=s area to 768, yet he has not produced any such plan and the Health Care Corporation of St. John's tells me the actual number is 1,181, after the hospital site relocations are completed in St. John's. These correct figures are based more on a direction towards a community health model and optimizing hospitals rather than downsizing them.

We have heard the Opposition suggest that readmissions to hospitals are happening on a frequent basis and are costing taxpayers more money than if people remained in hospitals for longer periods. That is false. In this province last year 66,000 surgical procedures were performed and of all of those patients less than one per cent of those people were readmitted for infections. The Manitoba report demonstrated that while hospital stays were indeed shorter people were not being readmitted any more than before. In fact, the hospital which had the second lowest readmission rate for heart patients discharged them the fastest.

We have heard the Opposition suggest that people are having high rates of infections and reinfections because of early discharges from hospitals. That is false. For instance the national average of class 3 reinfections in this country is over 25 per cent. At the Health Care Corporation in St. John's this year, the rate is 2.7 per cent. The average for our province is well within the norms which are internationally established and also accepted throughout Canada. This statistic is nothing to be ashamed of considering the number of procedures performed.

We have heard from the Leader of the Opposition, on one occasion, that government should not export jobs by sending people away for elective cardiac surgery. On another occasion, he said that more people should have access to cardiac surgery from outside this province and additionally they should be able to bring family members with them. His contradictions do nothing to benefit people who are worried about their health or the health of a family member. Over 100 people were offered the option of having their surgeries performed in another province. Yet, the majority of them decided against that option for their own reasons. Of the approximately 40 people who did want to go 29 have already had their surgeries. The remaining surgeries are scheduled for December and January. We are trying to accommodate people by giving them options, while we wait for another month or so, until renovations at the General Hospital can allow a reduction in the waiting time for cardiac surgeries.

This Government is taking decisive action on a number of fronts to address the waiting list for cardiac surgery. We provided over $1 million last year for service delivery enhancement and to make renovations possible for the ICU to increase the beds from 14 to 17. We have announced that there will be dedicated beds available within the new renovations at the General hospital, which will be completed and will be operational in January of next year. We allocated a new $3 million for the development of a dedicated cardiovascular unit for the recovery of cardiovascular patients. We are actively recruiting a new cardiovascular surgeon. We have tried to accommodate people who have been on the waiting list for cardiac surgery for more than six months by offering the option of having their surgeries performed in other provinces. We are not paying lip service like the Opposition. We are acting and we will continue to act to improve and enhance health and health care for the people of this province.

Anecdotes and stories of individual, anonymous patients may serve the needs of the Opposition Mr. Speaker but they do nothing but promote fear if they have no basis in fact. They must be part of the complete story which includes statistics outlining provincial, national and international trends in medicine. The only purpose served by this direction of the Opposition is to demoralize hospital staff and promote fear in patients who least need stress while receiving medical care.

Our hospitals provide the means for institutional care, as clearly defined in the Canada Health Act. The staff of those hospitals provide a valuable service through their dedication and hard work and I want to publicly commend them and thank them. Over the last few years in this country, the medical community throughout the world have seen the merit in moving away from institutional care and towards community care and we are also moving in that direction. Neither doctors, nurses, or support staff rush a person out of a hospital before they are well enough to leave. However, the medical team is the qualified and capable group which has to make medical decisions related to waiting lists and hospital discharges.

Opponents of any government have a role to play. However, they also have a responsibility to the people they represent. Opinions, innuendo, speculation and political opportunism must take a back seat to the truth when we are dealing with the health of the people of this province. Health is extremely important and as so I urge the members opposite to take the politics out of health. If you feel the need to deal with health issues politically then perhaps you could join us, the government, to continue to lobby the federal government for more money for health and health care in this province.