Danny Williams was disturbed by what he saw at a regional hospital on Wednesday, but insisted Newfoundland and Labrador's health-care system is not in crisis.
The Progressive Conservative leader, campaigning toward the Oct. 9 election, toured the Central Newfoundland Regional Health Centre in Grand Falls-Windsor.
Staff showed Williams cramped working spaces, outdated equipment and difficult working conditions.
"Obviously there are bigger operating rooms than this?" Williams asked during a tour of what turned out to be a standard operating room. "You're not serious," Williams remarked upon hearing the answer.
Williams saw laboratories and a pharmacy squeezed into rooms the size of closets.
Urologist Dave Sutherland told Williams he must work with ancient equipment.
"The X-ray no longer works," Sutherland said. "You go to push the button to make the patient move up, and the patient might move back or down."
Administrator Carol Dalton said the Central Health authority needs not only more space, but a substantial sum to make it happen.
"Right now we believe if we have an additional 16, 17 or 18,000 square feet, it would really make a difference for us," said Dalton, estimating a need of "maybe $20 million over a long period of time."
During the election campaign, the Liberals and New Democrats have described the health-care system as nearing collapse.
Williams agreed the Grand Falls-Windsor hospital needs attention, but refuted those claims.
"Our health-care system is not in a crisis," he said.
"There's a need for us to catch up in some areas from an infrastructure perspective, because we have to make sure we put the facilities, equipment and the people in place."
Williams said, though, that the Grand Falls-Windsor hospital will be standing in line with deteriorating schools and roads.
Related
| Party | Elected | Leading | Total | Vote Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PC | 43 | 0 | 43 | 69.56% |
| LIB | 3 | 0 | 3 | 21.98% |
| NDP | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8.21% |
| OTH | 0 | 0 | 0 | .25% |
| Last Update:October 9, 10:58:12 PM NDT | ||||
| Unofficial results were updated at the time shown. For more recent results, visit Elections NL. The CBC does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of external sites. External links will open in a new window. |
NL Votes 2007 »
- Williams faces daunting task of managing expectations
- Handed one of the most commanding mandates in Newfoundland and Labrador's history, Premier Danny Williams says he expects to face a cascade of requests for help during his second term.
- Former minister calls Liberal collapse 'catastrophic'
- Able to put their combined caucuses around a single card table, Newfoundland and Labrador's opposition parties are grappling with what life will be like in the shadow of a massive Tory majority.
- Efford keeping keen eye on Liberal leadership
- Former cabinet minister John Efford didn't hesitate Wednesday to indicate he is more than interested in taking over the reins of Newfoundland and Labrador's bedraggled Liberals.
- Williams leads Tory landslide in N.L.
- Danny Williams and his Progressive Conservatives were swept back into office Tuesday night by a massive lead over their political opponents.
- Heartbreak for Liberals as Grit vote collapses
- Newfoundland and Labrador's Liberals were overwhelmed Tuesday night, as a Tory wave of support claimed districts that had long been in the Grit camp.