RUNCIMAN DELIVERS PRESCOTT PETITION TO MINISTER OF HEALTH
(Queen’s Park) – Ontario’s Minister of Health, George Smitherman, is sympathetic to the concerns of Prescott’s residents over the upcoming closure of the community’s outpatient lab, but says the problem is out of his jurisdiction, according to Leeds Grenville MPP, Bob Runciman.
In the legislature today, Runciman presented Smitherman with a 2800 signature petition supporting continued operation of the Prescott lab.
“I believe the Minister was impressed with the numbers signing the petition, but at the end of the day it is still a local hospital decision,” said Runciman.
“We did discuss the possibility of locating a replacement operator for the lab and the time required to obtain a license,” added the MPP. “With a qualified company, it appears that the process could move quite quickly.”
The Brockville General Hospital recently announced that its Prescott lab would close in June as a result of service cuts required to reach provincial government budget demands. “The residents of Prescott are losing a valuable service in their community at a time when they are paying more for health care than ever before.”
