Megan Leslie condemns inequalities in cancer screening

OTTAWA – New Democrat Health Critic Megan Leslie (Halifax), is shocked by comments made by the President of the Canadian Society of Nuclear Medicine, Jean-Luc Urbain, who accuses Stephen Harper’s Conservative government of failing to provide all Canadians equal access to cancer diagnostic technology.

Mr. Urbain accused the government of violating the Canada Health Act. “It’s absurd we have a law to ensure equal care for all Canadians but the government does nothing to enforce it,” said Leslie.

The sooner cancer is detected, the sooner doctors can slow its progression and even wipe it out altogether. The use of positron emission tomographic (PET) scanners to detect cancer is vital. “It’s unacceptable that people in Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island and Saskatchewan do not have access to the technology needed to detect cancer,” said Leslie. “The isotope shortage should have forced the government to act to ensure provinces had the necessary technology to detect cancer. Unfortunately, the Harper government failed to do so.”

The remarks of the President of the Canadian Society of Nuclear Medicine come on the heels of a Canadian Medical Association (CMA) report that highlights reforms needed to give Canadians across the country equal access to health care. “If there’s one thing to learn from the isotope crisis and the rebuke of the President of the Canadian Society of Nuclear Medicine, it’s that the recommendations of the CMA must be addressed without delay,” said the NDP MP. “The message is clear. We need to act now to save lives and to ensure all Canadians are on equal footing with respect to health care.”