Randy Delorey met with representatives of the Western Nova Scotia Cancer Support Network and the Yarmouth Hospital Foundation.
The purpose of Thursday’s sit-down was for the Minister to hear first-hand reasons why the government should invest in a radiation treatment unit at the Yarmouth Regional Hospital.
After the meeting Delorey told Acadia News in a phone interview that a review process is underway.
“Before coming down I did speak with Dr. (Drew) Bethune of Cancer Care Nova Scotia. He’s had conversations with people down here about it as well so we spoke about it and he advised me of his commitment to complete a review and intends to have that review underway this fall.”
Delorey said he could make no commitment at this point to a radiation treatment unit.
“When we look at making decisions and priorities across government, obviously we do go through a budgeting process each year to direct the finances, the scarce resources that we have, to invest in all of our programs and services and capital projects and this would of course be subject to that process as well in terms of timing if a decision was made to move forward but again this is the type of thing has has to be taken one step at a time. The first step is to get the most detailed information, the most up-to-date information, particularly from a clinical perspective and the details they’d be looking at to assess all aspects on what it would mean to have that equipment and that service down here in Yarmouth.”
The Western Nova Scotia Cancer Support Network also presented Delorey with a petition containing thousands of signatures pleading with the government to establish radiation treatment in Yarmouth.
The Health Minister said the petition would likely be tabled in the House of Assembly at some point by Yarmouth MLA Zach Churchill who was also at yesterday’s meeting and helped set it up.
In a Post on the Cancer Support Network’s Facebook page, co-founder Derek Lesser described yesterday’s meeting with Delorey and Churchill as “very positive.”
