Newfoundland's Premier Danny Williams' assertion that the surgery he underwent in Florida was not available in Canada has been dismissed by Canadian cardiologists, who are claiming that they perform the exact surgery that Williams went through.

Stating in an interview with NTV News that aired on Monday, Williams said that his doctor recommended that he seek treatment in the U. S. for a leaky heart valve, following which he underwent the mitral valve surgery at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami on February 4.

"The surgery that I eventually got. was not offered to me in Canada", said Williams.

CTV News consulted four heart specialists to get to the bottom of the whole "claim-game". They all echoed the same details that "the minimally invasive procedure is not available in Newfoundland, but is widely offered in other provinces".

"The public needs to know you don't need to (travel)", says Dr. Bob Kiaii of London Health Sciences Centre in Ontario.

"That procedure can also be done in your own country", added Dr. Kiaii.

The doctors say though Williams had the right to seek treatment in the U. S., he shouldn't claim that the surgery cannot be done in Canada.