The provincial government wants people in Newfoundland and Labrador who require cataract surgery to know the procedure is covered under MCP and doctors can not bill a person directly as a result.
Cataract surgeries are also not allowed to be carried out outside a hospital, as per the Medical Care and Hospital Insurance Act and Regulations, a news release from the Department of Health and Community Services stated today, Feb. 7.
According to the most recent information, half of cataract surgeries in Newfoundland and Labrador are completed within 65 days from the date a patient agrees to have a procedure performed and is put on the wait list. Ninety per cent are done within 112 days.
The department is asking anyone who has had cataract surgery at a facility outside of a hospital or been told you can do so to contact the Cataract Surgery Information Line at 1-833-253-8491.
You should also call if you have been asked to pay for the procedure directly.
