CANOE -- CNEWS - Politics: Tories: May be long wait to cap wait times: "OTTAWA (CP) - There could be a long wait time for the new Conservative plan to cap medical wait times. Health Minister Tony Clement acknowledges it will take a lot of work with provinces to implement the 'care guarantee' that his party promised during the election campaign.
The purpose of the guarantee is to ensure that patients get care within clinically acceptable time limits even if that means they must be sent to another province or country.
Details of the proposal have not been spelled out.
'It's not one of those ones where I can sort of waltz into the House of Commons and slap a bill down and say, 'OK, problem solved,' ' Clement said in an interview.
'This one takes a lot of collaboration with the provinces and territories. This is one where you're going to have to have people rowing in the same direction in order to make some progress.'
Manitoba Health Minister Tim Sale has already spoken against the notion of care guarantees, saying none of the provinces have extra capacity in the key areas where the most pain is.
David Spencer, a spokesman for Ontario Health Minister George Smitherman, said his province already has a wait times strategy, including a program for out-of-country treatment. "
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