The MPP for London West says there is a growing crisis with spine surgery wait times at London's hospitals.
New Democrat Peggy Sattler rose in the Legislature during Question Period on Tuesday and peppered Deputy Premier Deb Matthews on a situation she says has been made worse by the Liberals.
“We have a growing crisis with spine surgery wait times in London. And it just keeps getting worse under this Liberal government,” Sattler said. “My constituent, Beverly Rodriguez, waited six months for an MRI. Then waited another six months to see a surgeon. Now she’s being told she’ll have to wait up to nine more months to actually get the surgery she needs.”
Sattler asked Matthews to outline what the government has done to address wait times, saying people shouldn't have to live in pain while waiting up to two years for surgery.
"We are very focused on reducing wait times for patients," Matthews responded. "It's something we've been doing since we came to office. We began to measure for the first time, wait times Speaker, and we are making specific investments to bring those wait times down. I'm going to be the first one to say we continue to have a challenge with wait times, but we are addressing them."
Matthews argued that in the last budget, the Wynne government earmarked more than $50-million specifically for better access to services and for reducing surgery wait times.
But Sattler wasn't buying it.
“Wait times are growing in London because this Liberal government refuses to provide proper funding for surgeries in our city,” Sattler said. “When will the Liberals stop ignoring people in London – and start to properly fund health care so people get the surgeries they so desperately need?”
The exchange can be viewed in the video below.