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By Doug Collins

One Man's Opinion

COLLINS: Another (empty?) NDP promise

Jul 22, 2022 | 5:01 AM

I HAVE WRITTEN MANY TIMES that when the Gaglardi Tower opened, it would only provide a minimal improvement to the reduction of surgery wait times.

So I was heartened this week when Health Minister Adrian Dix announced that three new operating rooms were going to be built here, to be in use next year. Conveniently just before the next provincial election in 2024.

We’ll accept the gift though. But the second part of this gift may be a little tougher to fill. Can you find contractors to do the job in time? And most importantly, are you going to be able to staff it?

The Gaglardi Tower opened this week, understaffed. Where will we get the OR nurses, who are highly skilled, the anesthetists, lab workers, and all the others who make the operating rooms click.

Pretty sure this is not another Field of Dreams story. Dix says they’re working hard to find staff, and I believe him.

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But are there enough training spots open in schools? No. Are there enough bodies potentially able to fill the training spots? Iffy. The stress levels on primary care workers during the pandemic may have turned some people away.

Whatever the case, and there are many unknowns here, including money, we need to keep the government’s foot to the fire to get it done.

Of course, there’s a lot of pressure on the government to make it happen, or it will become a negative issue for the NDP in 2024.

The pandemic prevented the Liberals from striking hard at the cancer clinic issue last election, which is probably a good thing because they wouldn’t have been able to get it done in four years either. But now they have a clear field. Let’s hope they push harder this time.

I’m Doug Collins and that’s One Man’s Opinion.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or Pattison Media.