Concerns over the impacts of government’s plans to close two dialysis clinics in rural hospitals have been raised -- and not just by the Opposition Tories.

Alberton-Roseville MLA Pat Murphy, a Liberal backbencher, asked Health Minister Doug Currie during question period Friday if he would reconsider his decision to remove hemodialysis clinics from the Alberton and Souris hospitals.

Earlier in the week, Currie announced several changes to health services, including a consolidation of hemodialysis services from four locations to two expanded ones in the Charlottetown and Summerside hospitals.

Any removal of services at Western Hospital in Alberton is a touchy subject among the residents of West Prince, who have already seen services at Community Hospital in O’Leary reduced to an outpatient clinic and long-term care facility.

During question period Friday, Murphy questioned Currie on why these changes were made and whether they would result in better outcomes for patients.

Then he asked whether Currie would reconsider the changes.

“If not, at the very least would the minister consider at least grandfathering those in that are currently receiving this treatment at Western Hospital?” Murphy asked.

“Come Oct. 1 when the new dialysis is supposed to close at Western, that any new patients coming on go to Summerside, but the ones that are currently receiving this treatment (in Alberton) be grandfathered in and continue to receive their treatment as needed at Western Hospital?”

Opposition MLA Hal Perry immediately shouted out, “That’s not fair” from his seat but was quieted by Speaker Carolyn Bertram.

The Opposition did, however, raise their own concerns with the planned dialysis changes.

"What do you say to a man who has no means of transportation for treatment to travel to Charlottetown three times a week to stay alive?” - PC MLA Colin LaVie

Colin LaVie read an email he received through the Opposition’s Island Voices initiative, asking whether the department would help with travel costs for those who will now have to go to Summerside or Charlottetown for their hemodialysis treatment.

“What do you say to a man who has no means of transportation for treatment to travel to Charlottetown three times a week to stay alive?” LaVie asked.

Currie said he recognizes the concerns of the patients who will be impacted by the relocation of these services, but said they are necessary to accommodate the growing number of people needing this treatment.

But neither the health department nor Health P.E.I. will offer travel aid for those who must drive to Charlottetown and Summerside for their treatments, he said.

“With amalgamation, people will have to move to those sites for their treatment but they are state-of-the-art dialysis facilities,” Currie said in an interview.

“We can’t continue to expand and create new dialysis facilities in all communities, that’s just not realistic, it’s not sustainable.”

As for Murphy’s question about whether he would consider ‘grandfathering in’ current dialysis patients in Alberton so they can continue their treatment at Western Hospital, Currie said he could not commit to that.

“That’s an operational, it’s a clinical issue, that would have to be discussed and I am not prepared on the floor of the Legislative Assembly to make any commitments.”

The dialysis clinics will begin their new amalgamated services Oc. 1.

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