Tories accuse NDP gov’t of letting ideology get in the way of patient care

Article content

Manitoba’s opposition health critic is accusing the province of mismanaging parts of the health-care system, leading to worsening wait times, while the province says the Progressive Conservatives should examine their own track record.

Article content

Residents are experiencing an “observable trend” of increased wait times relating to surgical capacity and diagnostics, said Roblin MLA Kathleen Cook, adding the NDP claims to be increasing the number of surgeries, but instead have cut capacity.

“Which runs entirely contrary to what the NDP ran their campaign on, which was almost exclusively health care,” Cook told the Winnipeg Sun, noting she fears the NDP is cancelling, or allowing to lapse, contracts with private surgical providers that were created to reduce wait times under the PC government.

“And the (health) minister so far has not been transparent about which contracts have been re-signed, which ones have been cancelled, if any,” said Cook, who criticized the NDP for placing ideology ahead of patients.

Article content

Article content

“Any changes to the previously signed agreements will impact thousands of Manitobans waiting in pain,” she said.

Manitoba Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara said it’s difficult to believe the opposition, which they said closed emergency rooms, fought with doctors and drove nurses out of the health-care system.

“We’re cleaning up the mess the previous government created in health care,” they said.

Cataract, hip and knee surgery and MRI wait times have risen since the NDP took office, said Cook.

She admitted health-care wait times are a problem across Canada.

A spokesperson for the province said 606 hip and knee surgeries were completed in May, “the most Manitoba has ever completed in a single month.”

More MRI scans were completed in the last six-month period than any other prior six-month period, they said, adding the same number of cataract surgeries were completed in the months of October 2023 through May 2024 (9,058) than were done in the months of October 2022 through May 2023 (9,067).

Article content

The 27,183 CT scans completed in May are the most Manitoba has ever completed in a single month, said the spokesperson, noting the 20,896 ultrasounds completed in May are the most Manitoba has ever completed in a single month.

Cook also accused the NDP of cancelling out-of-province surgical options.

“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,” she said.

Asagwara admitted to cancelling $40 million for out-of-province surgeries in oder to focus care in Manitoba.

“Under the PC’s disastrous strategy, many of these patients didn’t even make it to the waitlist,” they said.

Cook’s solution to long wait times is to immediately reinstate contracts with private surgery providers. She said they are well equipped to provide tests and surgeries in a timely manner and at no cost to patients.

Article content

Cook would also like to see a plan for training and recruiting medical staff.

“And it’s actually shocking to me that we’re now, what, nine or 10 months into an NDP mandate, and we still haven’t seen their plan to increase staffing in the health-care system,” she said.

A spokesperson for Doctors Manitoba said physicians want patients to receive rapid access to medical care. They said it’s Shared Health and the province’s duty to plan surgery volumes and assign them to facilities.

“Engaging physicians proactively in discussions around system change is always a good thing,” they said. “This consultation and planning will help to avoid disruptions, cancellations, and postponed surgeries.”

Have thoughts on what’s going on in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada or across the world? Send us a letter to the editor at wpgsun.letters@kleinmedia.ca

Article content