QUEEN’S PARK – Today in the Ontario Legislature Ernie Hardeman, MPP Oxford, called on the government to give Oxford residents the news they deserve for Christmas – that there will be no more devastating delays for life-changing cataract and hip surgeries.
“I’ve heard from many constituents who had their surgery scheduled, but are now being told that they have to wait many, many months – into the new fiscal year because there is no money for their surgeries,” said Hardeman during the statement. “These are not numbers, these are people who are facing a terrible situation because of these delays.”
In the statement Hardeman mentioned examples of the impact of the delay on constituents, including:
- a senior whose cataract surgery has now been postponed until four months after her driving retest;
- an adult with a life-long developmental disability who is waiting for cataract surgery to help improve his vision and balance; and
- people who are in constant pain waiting for hip surgery.
“All of these people should be receiving their surgery as scheduled, but instead for Christmas they received devastating news, that they need to wait many months because the government has mismanaged the budget,” said Hardeman.
Hardeman wrote to the Chair of the South West Local Health Integration Network in early November to raise this issue and has not yet received a response.
“I ask the government to stop making up for their mismanagement by cutting the services that people need,” said Hardeman. “And for Christmas, give my constituents the news they deserve – that there will be no more devastating delays for these life-changing surgeries.”