Hallway medicine, right on Gary Doer's door step

We all remember Gary Doer's number one promise back in 1999 - he was going to end hallway medicine in Manitoba. But what do we find in today's Winnipeg Sun? This telling comment from a nurse at Concordia Hospital:

"we've always had hallway patients, but never like this... They were just all over."

For those that don't know, Concordia Hospital is located right in Gary Doer's own constituency, and in the last few days the hospital has been totally overwhelmed by emergency patients. The hospital is desperately short on staff and the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority has confirmed that there was no ER doctor on duty at Concordia during an eight-hour span on Saturday. The hospital had to haul in a family physician to cover the shift.

The realy sad thing is that this is not unusual - there has been a desperate shortage of ER physicians in Winnipeg hospitals all summer long. For a Premier that once promised to fix health care, this represents a complete and utter failure for his government.

Sure, the NDP spin doctors are spinning madly to make excuses and there are many who are starting to believe that ending hallway medicine was an impossible promise. Perhaps it was, but one thing is for sure: the NDP have had over six years to try to make a dent in the mess the Tories left us with.

So, the question I want to ask is: "Do you think we are better off in health care than six years ago?" The Conference Board of Canada says were not and I don't hear many Manitobans saying we are. Things have only gotten worse.

The bottom line is that Gary Doer and the NDP do not seem to have the skill or energy to deliver. They have failed miserably on their core promise. It is time for Gary Doer to move on and let others do the job.