IWK wait times too long, say parents
Posted Mar 18, 2012 07:27:27 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Some Halifax parents are voicing their concern over long medical waiting lists for their children at the IWK, especially when it comes to mental health.
Last fall, the IWK Health Centre dropped about 550 of 1,100 names on the list.
But a report in The Chronicle Herald says parents are worried that while the waiting list may drop names, a lot of that is because of the short window of childhood and with some parents ultimately deciding to pay to get their kids some other kind of help in desperation.
Parents tell the paper stories of putting their children on the waiting list only to end up deciding to pay for services like private physiologists, and many ultimately take their kids out of province.
At least one parent says her son with behavioral issues was removed from the list two years after he was put on it, without her being told.
The IWK says it’s aware the system is problematic, and that it hopes to operate more efficiently.
IWK president and CEO Anne McGuire tells the paper they aren’t proud of the situation, which is why they’re reorganizing.
About 470 children on the list have appointments this winter, but they could face more waiting after their initial screening.
