Harper's New Priorities

[margrace]

The biggest problem with wait times in Emerg is the backup from patients who are occupying beds and should be elsewhere. I had to go to emerg and I had to wait 0ver 24 hours for an operation, the reason, the steralizing equipment was down.

In the tiny room where I waited were two other patients who should not have been there. One was a severe heart patient and the other was one who was not congizant enough to drink fluids to help control her diabetes. Both had no business in the emerg, there were no beds in the hospital. This hospital by the way has a wing being used for offices because they do not have the money to staff it for patients. Ontario keeps closing hospitals rather than getting more beds.

[scribblet]

How will this factor into the promise of fixing health care wait times, evidently it is not a priority with Ontario Liberals.

I wonder what the wait time is for an actual emergency, eg, bleeding to death or a heart attack? Too many people do abuse emergency rooms, going to them when all that they really need is to see their doctors, or take flu pills.

The emergency room staff is supposed to use a triage system but my experience with that isn't very good, it seemed to me they didn't have a real concept of triage was supposed to be.

A walk in clinic for after hours attached to a hospital would be a solution, rather than more emergency room beds.

http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/story.h...2;bd05e&k=55078

Ontario to forgo limits on emergency room wait times

April Lindgren, CanWest News Service

Published: Wednesday, January 24, 2007

TORONTO Ontario Health Minister George Smitherman says setting limits on wait times in hospital emergency departments will do little to help patients seeking emergency care.

We are already having a difficult time," Smitherman told reporters Wednesday, following the release of data detailing long wait times in Ontario's emergency departments. "Applying a standard that may in fact be artificial is not something that we have an interest in."

[margrace]

Smitherman told me that although there are huge problems with the way hospitals operate, they are controlled under boards and there is nothing he can do about it.

[Saturn]

Harper has listed his government's priorities for 2007:

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/stor...0123?hub=Canada

* Senate reform

* Fighting crime

* Economic growth

* Tax cuts

* A strong voice on the world stage

What pile of crap! Senate reform is just a lot of noise for nothing. What the heck is "Strong voice on the world stage"? Spending more in Afghanistan and heckling with the EU over Kyoto just to make Canadians feel more important than we are?

Fighting crime. By talking about more severe punishment that won't happen anyway? Noise for nothing.

Economic growth and tax cuts. Will that be achieved by reversing his personal income tax increase and handing out more beer and popcorn money to people who don't want to work? Another 1 point drop in the GST that so far has not shown to trickle down to the consumer? I really want to hear more about this. I have really low expectations from this government on the economic front but still have some hope that something positive may come out of it.

[Saturn]

Smitherman told me that although there are huge problems with the way hospitals operate, they are controlled under boards and there is nothing he can do about it.

True. The problem is that the government just pays the health-care bills but it doesn't have control over the health-care system. The system itself is controlled by the medical associations and the medical profession. Their interests are not best served by providing good care to Canadians. The government can do very little besides begging them for better services.

[geoffrey]

Smitherman told me that although there are huge problems with the way hospitals operate, they are controlled under boards and there is nothing he can do about it.

True. The problem is that the government just pays the health-care bills but it doesn't have control over the health-care system. The system itself is controlled by the medical associations and the medical profession. Their interests are not best served by providing good care to Canadians. The government can do very little besides begging them for better services.

So just let private centres provide care, where the patient would come first... if they wanted return visits.

[Saturn]

We shouldn't have to fly south for it though tml, I should be able to buy my care in Calgary or Montreal. It makes the system more equally accessible than only having those that can afford to fly south getting better care.

When you are paying for $100K procedure, is it your ticket to fly south what will make it unaffordable?

[Saturn]

True. The problem is that the government just pays the health-care bills but it doesn't have control over the health-care system. The system itself is controlled by the medical associations and the medical profession. Their interests are not best served by providing good care to Canadians. The government can do very little besides begging them for better services.

So just let private centres provide care, where the patient would come first... if they wanted return visits.

Tsk, tsk. How many times do you need to be reminded that this is not convenience stores we are talking about but a monopoly which can control supply to maximize its profits regardless of whether it's the government or individuals who pay for its services? Nothing short of doubling the price of health care services will appease them to provide care "where the patient would come first... if they wanted return visits". I doubt that our economy can carry the burden of doubling of health-care costs, so for the time being, you'll just have to fly south.

[margrace]

Greg have you seen any of the costs in our hospitals now, over $250,000 American for a bone marrow transplant and these are becoming more common. Anywhere from $10,000 up for a hip replacement. Who has that kinc of money????

[tml12]

Greg have you seen any of the costs in our hospitals now, over $250,000 American for a bone marrow transplant and these are becoming more common. Anywhere from $10,000 up for a hip replacement. Who has that kinc of money????

There are no costs in our hospitals now. This is Canada...we are all equal and no one has any access to faster or better quality health care anywhere in our free and 100% equal land.

[margrace]

Smitherman told me that although there are huge problems with the way hospitals operate, they are controlled under boards and there is nothing he can do about it.

True. The problem is that the government just pays the health-care bills but it doesn't have control over the health-care system. The system itself is controlled by the medical associations and the medical profession. Their interests are not best served by providing good care to Canadians. The government can do very little besides begging them for better services.

So just let private centres provide care, where the patient would come first... if they wanted return visits.

What would be the difference between a private hospital and the ones run by boards now. The government tells them how much money they get,where would the private hospitals get their money. As far as I can see you would be adding an extra cost the payments to the share holders.