John Haggie apologizes for comments on medical travel for Labrador patients

Health Minister John Haggie's commentslast week in the House of Assembly were an upsetting surprise for Valerie Rachwal, who has travelled multiple times over the years from Happy Valley-Goose Bay to St. John's in her fight against cancer.

Rachwalsaid she has "a lot of respect" for Haggie, especially with his handling of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, but said she's lost that respect "if he truly deep in his heart feels the words that he expressed."

New DemocratMHA Jordan Brown last week asked about the cost for Labradorians to travel to Newfoundland for medical treatment, saying the current Medical Transportation Assistance Program"disproportionately impacts" and discriminates against residents of Labrador.

In response, Haggie said, "I would argue there is discrimination in favour of Labradorians," and they receive $1,000 for airfare"in recognition of the difficulties and the expenses that they have" to get to the island for health care.

Haggie apologized for the phrasing of his comment onFacebook over the weekend.

"In no way did I mean to diminish or dismiss the financial hardships that the people of Labrador experience," he wrote.

But Rachwal said her first reaction to hearing that comment was anger, before sadness set in.

"I felt like it was telling me that there's a lack of understanding by our leaders of exactly the challenges faced by Labradorians in accessing health care in the same way that it's accessed by those that live on the island," she said.

"I felt that I have been discriminated against because of where I live, because my home happens to be in the Labrador portion of our province, rather than the island portion of our province."

I got a bit cross with the allegation that I was somehow being discriminatory, and cross people don't think well.- John Haggie

On multiple occasions, Rachwal said, she has had to pay out of pocket for expenses relatingto medical care over the last six years she's fought cancer, as well as the long-term effects of treatment.

Community members have also raisedmoney to help her pay for medical costs.

"Which I was grateful for, but my friends and family that live in St. John's don't need fundraisers for them to access health care, so it's not fair," she said.

"And to make the statement 'discriminates in a favourable way,' I feel is so untrue."

'He needs to open up his eyes'

Progressive Conservative MHA Lela Evans shares that sentiment, andsaid she was "shocked and deeply troubled" by Haggie's comments.

"When the person who sets the direction of the Department of Health, and when the person who determines where health-care services will or will not be provided when he feels the people of Labrador in fact are discriminated in favour of, it's no wonder we can't improve access to health-care services," Evans said.

It was shocking on many levels, but deep down in my heart, I know that we have an uphill battle.- Lela Evans

"And nobody Lab West, north coast, south coast, Upper Lake Melville you will not find a single person who feels that we're getting more than the rest of the province, and that's what he implied when he said that. So he needs to open up his eyes."

Evans said there are people all across Labrador who also don't get coverage for travel.

"That impacts their ability to get access to medical treatment, and sometimes they have to sacrifice a lot in terms of their family, in terms of their household, in terms of their support for their kids," she said. "And for the minister of health to say that, it was shocking on many levels, but deep down in my heart, I know that we have an uphill battle."

Some of those residents who might not get MTAP money, according to Lake Melville MHA Perry Trimper, are those who get financial support from community fundraisers.

"I've had some folks who have had money clawed back from their program because the community took it upon themselves to raise money to support somebody fighting cancer, and took that money away from what they would have been obligated to receive under the MTAP," Trimper said last week, "so I do not refer to this as a generous program."

Trimper also said there is a lack of understanding of just how long it takes for some of that travel to happen.

"They believe that you can drive from Happy Valley-Goose Bay to St. John's, spending only one night in a hotel before you arrive here for your appointment," Trimper said.

"I have a woman that I know, she's fighting cancer. Her and her husband were refused recognition of them staying at an additional hotel in the Labrador Straits. We would not come up with the money to pay for a second hotel night on a three-day trip."

MTAP changes delayed due to COVID-19

Haggie on Monday morning reiterated his apology for the comments he made last week.

"I think what happened in the House is, I got a bit cross with the allegation that I was somehow being discriminatory, and cross people don't think well. So I tried to throw Jordan Brown's words back at him and basically screwed it up, so here we are," Haggie told CBC's Labrador Morning.

"I apologized on Saturday and I'm happy to repeat that apology today. I don't think I would want anyone to be left with a feeling that I had anything but some degree of appreciation for the difficulties in Labrador. I worked on the north coast and in Goose Bay back in the '90s, so I do have an on-the-ground appreciation."

Since last week, Haggie said, he's received multiple message from people telling him about their experience of travelling for medical reasons, which has given him "some tangible material" to use as the province continues to look at MTAP.

A review of MTAP started last year, but was put on hold because of the election, Haggie said, and then staff who were working on it have all been tasked since January with COVID-19 response.

"So quite frankly, it has been delayed a lot longer than I wanted," Haggie said.

The provincial MTAP is one of three assistance programs available to Labradorians who need to travel for medical treatment, Haggie said, and it will be high on list of priorities "as soon as things being to stabilize in the COVID world."

"The discussion around the weekend has highlighted the need to move on this quicker than maybe we'd appreciated."

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