Lifesaving X-ray

Following is a copy of a letter sent to Health and Community Services Minister Paul Oram to be included in the Letters to the Editor section:

Dear Honourable Minister Oram:
The announcement that you are planning to close the Lab and X-Ray Clinic in Lewisporte has me very frustrated. As a mother of 3 children, I feel that you are jeopardizing their lives and everyone else's for the sake of dollars. Recently, I heard you discussing the number of x-rays that you and your father have had in your lifetime. Because you both only needed the service on a few times, I'm assuming that you drew some of your decisions based on this. I'm sorry Minister Oram, but two individuals are not enough to base a poll on when the stakes are so high for some people.
My 8-year old son, Daniel, has Reactive Airway Disease, a respiratory condition characterized by wheezing, shortness of breath, and coughing. To date, he has had 16 x-rays. These x-rays are very much needed so that the doctor can diagnose if he has a chest infection or possibly pneumonia. In the past 7 years, my three children have had a total of 28 x-rays, mostly chest x-rays.
In March of 2008, Daniel was taken to the Family Medical Clinic due to his recurring respiratory complications. Upon seeing our family doctor, Dr. Brenda Penney, she assessed him and determined that he needed a chest x-ray. We took him to have his x-ray completed and went back to the medical clinic for the diagnosis. Right away, Dr. Penney determined from his x-ray that his lung was severely blocked and looked as if it may collapse. From there, an ambulance was called and she began treatment immediately while awaiting the ambulance. He was taken to Central Newfoundland Regional Health Centre in Grand Falls-Windsor in which Dr. Penney accompanied him on the ambulance. He was hospitalized for 2 days with pneumonia.
With these cuts that you are proposing, I shudder to think what would have happened to him if we had to travel to Grand Falls-Windsor that day for an x-ray and wait to get his diagnosis and treatment. He would not have had the emergency care of an ambulance and a doctor by his side. I would have been driving in over the highway with him not realizing that time was crucial. If his lung had collapsed on the way to the hospital for an x-ray, tell me Minister Oram, what could I have done to help my child? If his lung had collapsed, it could have been fatal. I'm so thankful for the medical care that he did receive that day. Without that x-ray, it may have ended up being a different story.
As a mother of children who need this service, I am asking you to please reconsider your position on this closure. Please keep the Lab and X-Ray Clinic in Lewisporte open …it will save lives.

A very concerned mother,
Lori Pardy

cc Premier Danny Williams