For Immediate Release
13 October, 2021
NDP Leader Alison Coffin, who has been without a family doctor for three years, is calling on the Minister of Health to acknowledge this is a problem and recognize that people are suffering due to the doctor shortage in the province. She is sympathetic to the people across the province spending hours in emergency rooms to try and access primary care. The NL NDP leader expected government to offer a tangible plan, not tell us to send a fruit basket and hope for the best.
“The doctors shortage in this province is a crisis. This isn’t news. And it should be obvious to the Minister of Health” said Coffin. “In every community I visit in this province multiple people tell me they do not have adequate access to healthcare, and do not know what else they can do,” Coffin said today. “For the Minister to be so flippant about the reality people are facing was very concerning to hear and shows government is out of touch with every day people.”
Coffin is challenging the provincial government to make NL a place where healthcare professionals want to work and live. Healthcare workers are burnt out, our facilities are understaffed. Government’s recruitment efforts are failing. Coffin says government must continue to listen to healthcare workers if the situation is to be improved, and for the human resources plan for health to have impact. The system is overloaded, and successive Liberal and Tory governments have mismanaged healthcare in our province.
“Healthcare workers across the province were overworked in a healthcare system that was neglected long before the pandemic hit. For the last year and a half this Liberal government has expected more of healthcare workers, and until yesterday offered no sign of hope that things would change,” said Coffin. “We were pleased to hear the Minister of Health acknowledge that he heard what we and healthcare workers have been calling for – a comprehensive human resources plan for health,” said Coffin.“
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For further information, contact Eddy St. Coeur, Director of Communications, NDP Caucus at 729-2137 (o), or eddystcoeur@gov.nl.ca