Thursday, June 2, 2011

re: Provincial Initiative Targets ER - June 1, 2011

Read the article here

To the editor of the Sudbury Star,
(Published June 9, 2011)

I was pleased to read of the provincial initiative to streamline the emergency room procedures across the province. The comment by Dr. Lepage that the lack of beds at the Sudbury Regional Hospital may reduce the benefit was telling, though. If I recall correctly, the original plan for the new hospital, back in the late 1990's, was to have a facility with 600 beds. However, after the building fiasco, this was reduced to 429. Why then would anyone be surprised that we have a current bed shortage? But then they didn't even provide enough parking spaces for the smaller hospital.

This reality, coupled with the shortage of Long Term Care facilities, tells me that those civil servants responsible for planning medical facilities in the north aren't very good at their job. In my opinion, the north in general and Sudbury in particular have been poorly served by the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care (who are in total control of all aspects of this service) over the last decade. I sincerely hope that this shortcoming will become an issue in the upcoming election.

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