Mr. Chairman, if I can respond to that, I find it offensive that he would regard my comments as jovial. They are not jovial. I recognize the importance of this to my patients. I practise and I see patients every day. I am actually in the middle of a clinic. I have come out of that clinic to come to talk to this panel, so I find his comments unfortunate.
The degree to which there are regional differences across this country is very, very real. When we talk to the provinces and territories at our meetings, we have an indication from them both of the degree to which there are delays in tests and the degree to which there are cancellations of tests. The provinces and territories, from their health ministries, are reporting that there are manageable delays. These are clearly not entirely acceptable for our patients, but are manageable.
What is clear to me, as I talk to my colleagues on the ground, is that there are these big regional disparities across the country. The sites that appear to have the biggest difficulty coping are small urban sites dependant either upon small radiopharmacies or upon a generator being supplied to an individual hospital radiopharmacy. Clearly, that is a very great concern to me and the physicians dealing with those patients. What I now have committed to do with my colleagues is actually to understand what is causing those regional disparities.
So, Mr. Chair, I believe I do understand the seriousness of it. I am a practising physician on the ground and am actually in the middle of a clinic as we speak. I do understand the regional disparities and I am attempting to address them. I am not underestimating the impact on patients.