Nickel Belt MPP and NDP Health and Long-Term Care Critic France Gélinas asked Minister of Health and Long-Term Care Deb Matthews about the province's plans for Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Scans in Sudbury during question period Dec. 7.
“The minister’s explanation for not providing a PET Scan in the northeast is that there is excess PET scanning capacity in the province,” Gélinas said, in the legislature. “Meanwhile, the University Health Network in Toronto is in the process of installing the 11th PET Scan in Ontario.”
“Larger hospitals in large urban centres have more opportunities to access research money, grant money and have a large population base for fundraising,” Gélinas said. “As larger hospitals continue to add capacity, under the minister’s capacity argument, the northeast will continue to be left behind.”
“Minister, you don’t have to listen to me. Instead listen to the numerous municipalities and First Nations who have written to you, and listen to the 20,000 people who have signed a petition calling for a PET Scan in Sudbury,” Gélinas said.
“It is winter in northern Ontario and our roads are covered with ice and snow; does the minister think it is fair or reasonable for extremely sick people living in northeastern Ontario to have to drive five to 12 hours to get to a PET Scan in Toronto? Is this the minister’s idea of equity of access?”
The minister responded that even if Sudbury raised enough money for a PET Scan, that the government still wouldn’t necessarily fund the operation of it.
“We will consider - I want to stress this - we will consider, because we do have to look at the provincial picture,” said Matthews.
