Straight facts needed on number of people without doctor

According to the PC leader, we have 136,000 people are without a family doctor; 750 vacant nursing positions; hundreds of unstaffed longterm care beds, creating further backlogs in our hospitals; emergency rooms throughout our province closed often or closed for good; and ambulances are parked without staff.

The Newfoundland and Labrador Medical Association says 136,000 people now self-identify as not having a family doctor. The minister of Health and Community Services says the number peaked at 48,000, quite a significant difference.

The premier don’t think it serves anyone well to debate the validity of the numbers or the variance between them. There is 88,000 difference in those numbers. If the premier sees no validity in debating those numbers, how can he or any one else know how many medical professionals are needed?

According to Minister Osborne, the health authorities have recruited 25 physicians from September to the end of December, recruited over 51 health professionals for the Come Home initiative and recruited 23 family physicians through the family physician start-up program.

Minster Osborne also states they have had a number of retired physicians – through the incentive that we’ve put in place to attract retired physicians – come back to provide their services.

The recruitment numbers stated by Minister Osborne puts a very small dent in vacant position numbers as stated by opposition leader David Brazil.

The remier should be very interested in getting to the exact number of people without a Doctor because more people without a doctor would mean more medical professionals are needed.

Jerome Terry Sr. Mount Pearl