Human rights complaint changes breast reduction surgery rules
Posted May 27, 2019 03:07:00 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A Halifax woman was denied the surgery on the basis that her body mass index (BMI) was above the threshold covered by MSI.
Melody Harding brought her complaint against the Province of Nova Scotia and the Department of Health and Wellness to the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission in August 2017.
A release from the province says the parties were able to agree on a settlement on May 21, which will see cases similar to Harding's reassessed on an individual basis.
The government will remove the BMI criteria as a consideration factor for the surgery. Previously, a person's BMI had to be under 27 to be covered under MSI.
This means there are two criteria remaining for women to be considered for the surgery: that 400 grams or more of tissue needs to be removed from each breast; and that there are documented physical symptoms attributed to the size of the breast, such as neck or back pain.
“I am so pleased to have found common ground with the Department of Health and Wellness,” Harding is quoted as saying in the release. “Removing the body mass index restriction from the breast reduction surgery criteria is such a positive development for the women in Nova Scotia that are effected by macromastia, myself included.”
In the ruling, the commission commends the province for reaching an agreement that will benefit Harding and other Nova Scotian women who have been denied the surgery in the past because of their BMI.
The settlement amount reached is confidential, but a copy of the settlement agreement can be found online.
