Premier Robert Ghiz is stepping back from his decision to move dialysis treatment out of Alberton and Souris.

Souris and Alberton residents have lashed out at the provincial government over a decision to shut down dialysis services in their towns.

Ghiz announced in the legislature Tuesday that he is postponing his original plan to move dialysis operations to Summerside and Charlottetown. He said he's not quite ready to say services will permanently remain in those two towns but he's willing to listen to arguments for keeping the status quo.

"I've agreed to more dialogue with those individuals. We're going to postpone that announcement for a little bit, Madame Speaker, while we have the opportunity to sit down with the residents," Ghiz said.

Ghiz said he made the decision after meeting with West Prince residents earlier this week.

Pat Murphy, Liberal MLA for Alberton-Roseville, said he's hopeful dialysis treatments will remain in Alberton.

"Of course I'd like to see that maintained in Western Hospital and in Souris. Hopefully that will be the outcome," Murphy said.

"But we still have to continue to dialogue with the minister."

On the other end of the Island Colin LaVie, Opposition MLA for Souris-Elmira, isn't as optimistic as Murphy. LaVie said residents want Ghiz to completely back off and leave the services alone.

"Do you see this is just a flip-flop? It's more of a flop than a flip. It's just a total opposite of what we wanted. That's not what the people wanted to hear," LaVie said

Protest meetings

Hundreds of residents from the areas around Alberton and Souris, where the clinics are shutting down, gathered at separate meetings May 4: about 300 in Alberton and 250 in Souris.

There are eight patients using the service in Alberton, and 11 in Souris.

Souris Mayor David Macdonald is complaining the closure is part of a series of hits to the town and that the town is being bled to death.

Tim Fox, executive director of the Atlantic Canada branch of the Kidney Foundation of Canada, said in a May 4 interview while the province has made progress in providing more services to people with kidney disease he's worried about this move and the impact the closures will have on patients.

"When you are dialysing three times a week, three to five hours at a time, it's a big chunk of your day already that is taken up," Fox said.

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