The Nova Scotia Legislature resumes sitting next month and thousands of people from the South Shore, Tri-Counties and the Valley are hoping the government will listen to their pleas.
Nearly 19,000 cancer patients, care-givers family members and others have joined the Western Nova Scotia Cancer Support Network.
It’s mandate is to convince the province to provide funding for radiation therapy at the Yarmouth Regional Hospital.
Right now, it is only offered in Halifax and Cape Breton.
Argyle-Barrington PC MLA Chris d’Entremont says too many people in this part of the province have to endure costly trips to Halifax for treatment.
“It’s time we all stand up and work together to make sure we have radiation oncology and other cancer treatments right here in Yarmouth.”
Zach Churchill, the MLA for Yarmouth says oncologists he met with recently are fully involved in the conversation and would like to see a survey done of cancer patients from the Annapolis Valley to Liverpool to determine if they would use radiation services in Yarmouth.
“We would need those folks to use it to have the critical mass, to have the services here and of course look at the critical issues of costs and staffing as well.”
Churchill says the issue of radiation therapy is very much alive in Yarmouth and he will keep pushing the issue forward.
