A project for a private eye surgery centre in Corner Brook is getting a second look from Nova Scotia’s Department of Health. A local ophthalmologist met the province’s health minister and the premier is considering looking further into the proposal. The clinic would focus on cataract surgeries and charge the provincial health insurance program - not patients out-of-pocket. National healthcare advocacy group, The Canadian Health Coalition, opposes the project, saying these centres cherry-pick the best doctors and easiest cases, leaving hospitals in worse shape than before. The N.S. health minister found patients were being illegally charged as much as $4,000 for cataract surgery - a procedure covered by the province's Medical Care and Hospital Insurance Act. The province now has a hotline to report if someone’s being illegally charged for the procedure. A total of 83 people indicated they paid for the surgery in a private clinic.
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