For Immediate Release
January 30, 2025
NL NDP Leader Jim Dinn (St. John’s Centre) is questioning government statistics, stating they appear to greatly downgrade the actual number of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians without access to a primary health care provider.
According to a Narrative Research poll conducted in November 2024, approximately 163,000 residents of Newfoundland and Labrador reported not having a primary health care provider. However, government officials continue to cite significantly lower numbers from the Patient Connect registry, which shows just under 49,000 individuals waiting for a provider. Dinn says this discrepancy is troubling, especially in terms of transparency to the public on what is being done to address the health care crisis.
“The gap between these numbers is staggering and deeply concerning. It is quite confusing to the public, skewing the realities people are facing in our health care system,” said Dinn. “This discrepancy highlights the clear shortcomings of the Patient Connect system in accurately capturing the true scope of the issue.”
Dinn emphasized that the issue goes beyond numbers and statistics. For those 163,000 residents, the lack of access to primary health care can mean delayed diagnoses, missed treatments, and overall poorer health outcomes. He also expressed that even if you have been connected to a family care team, you still may not be connected to a doctor, which skews the numbers even more.
“In August, we learned that patients were being connected to non-operational family care teams, which meant that they would be waiting on a waitlist until that care team hired the workers necessary to run the clinic,” explained Dinn. “I have to wonder, are these numbers reflected in the 49,000 government says are without a primary health care provider? Or are these patients, some who are connected to clinics that haven’t even opened their doors, marked as connected to a physician?
“People in Newfoundland and Labrador are falling through the cracks, and the government needs to take responsibility,” Dinn added. “We need a full and honest accounting of how many people are truly without a primary health care provider. Anything less is a disservice to the people of this province.”
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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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