Y95 News photo
According to a Freedom of Information request received by the NDP Caucus access to blood collection services has declined during the pandemic in the western health zone.
The NDP say the number of blood tests per day was down by about 17 per cent.
Provincial NDP leader Gary Burrill has an idea of why the tests have declined.
“Blood is being collected in hospitals in different ways during the pandemic,” said Burrill. “Apparently the consequence is that there are many many people who, in this new system, are not getting their blood collected in the regular way they are used to.”
He says there are options the province is not pursuing.
“There are lots of other ways to do blood collection. Other provinces in Canada do it in different ways,” said Burrill. “Some do it through pharmacies, it would be possible to do it through community centers. There is no necessary reason why blood collection must be done through hospitals.”
Valley Regional Hospital and Fishermen’s Memorial Hospital both saw decreases of over 50 percent. The NDP noted that some sites did see small increases in blood collection such as the South Shore and Yarmouth Hospitals.
