For Immediate Release
March 11, 2025
NL NDP Leader Jim Dinn (St. John’s Centre) focused on healthcare today in the House of Assembly, questioning government on medical equipment missing from St. Clare’s Hospital, and highlighting extensive wait times for children’s developmental assessments.
A patient at St. Clare’s who suffers from chronic back pain approached Dinn wondering what happened to the C-Arm Fluoroscopy unit, a piece of equipment that helps target injections in and around the spinal column for pain. The treatment cannot be done safely without the C-Arm.
After writing the Minister of Health and receiving no answer, Dinn asked in the House of Assembly, “What action will the Minister take to ensure that people dependent on the C-Arm will not have their pain management treatments interrupted or delayed?”
Dinn continued by highlighting the extensive wait times parents face seeking developmental assessments for their children. Long wait times, especially for children who are struggling with neuro-diverse conditions like ADHD and autism, have a direct impact on student engagement and success.
Last March, the pediatric unit in Central Newfoundland told schools to stop sending students for assessment due to the massive backlog. Dinn highlights that this is severely impacting students, teachers, and parents.
Dinn asked the Minister, “When can we expect the government to address these wait times so students have a better chance of being engaged and successful in school?”
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For further information, contact Stephanie Curran, Media and Communications Officer, NDP Caucus at 330-0328 (o), or stephaniecurran@gov.nl.ca
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