Last Updated: Tuesday, February 23, 2010 | 10:23 PM NT
CBC News

Canadian cardiac surgeons say there was no need for the premier of Newfoundland and Labrador to cross the border for world-class health care.

The treatment Danny Williams received in the United States is available in at least four Canadian centres including hospitals in Vancouver, Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto, doctors told CBC News.

Williams has made no apologies for following what he said was doctors' orders in flying to Miami to have "minimally invasive" surgery earlier this month to repair a leaky heart valve.

However, Montreal cardiac surgeon Dr. Hugues Jeanmart finds that medical advice puzzling.

"I was very surprised, especially for the reason he [Williams] advanced, saying that we didn't have this kind of expertise in Canada, which I completely disagree with," he said.

Jeanmart repairs heart valves using the latest in robotic technology. Instead of open-heart surgery, the operation is performed through an incision under the arm, so there is no large chest scar and there are other benefits as well, Jeanmart said.

"There's less pain, less bleeding, less chance of infection and the main point is faster recovery after these kinds of surgery."

There are also risks, such as stroke, so some cardiac specialists are reluctant to recommend the procedure. But the procedure is still available.

There is a waitlist in Montreal of up to three months, but urgent cases can get the surgery right away, Jeanmart said.

Dr. Alan Menkis, a Winnipeg cardiac surgeon, was a pioneer in using the technology.

Canada can be slow to adopt technology that is expensive when cheaper options are just as effective, Menkis said.

"If you look at the number one centres all over the world, not every single centre in every country does these sorts of procedures. So I would think that the distribution across Canada is not bad. We could do more of that I think."

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/newfoundland-labrador/story/2010/02/23/williams-surgery023.html#ixzz0gQR8tia7

Urgent cases, like this one, can get the surgery "immediately" so that does for the patient killing waiting lists; Canadian doctor Alan Menkis "was a pioneer in using the technology" so that does for lack of innovation outside the US. We're pretty much left with "when there's only half a million people in the whole province there's often a lack of cardiac surgeons with highly specialized new tech" which is a valid point, but as applicable to Nebraska as Newfoundland. I do think it takes a lot of cheek to say the action wasn't an indictment of Canadian healthcare while claiming it wasn't available and he'd have been subjected to a terminal wait, then turn around and say he'll collect any reimbursement to which he's entitled. He may want the best medical care available, but still expects the Canadian taxpayers to pay for it. Again I say, the problem isn't big government, it's unaccountable government. Hence this isn't so much an indictment of socialized medicine as greedy inept politicians.