The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Health care problems continue Although the provinces were as usual not totally happy with the Federal money they got from Paul Martin for health care this fall, a number expressed pleasure with the hope of providing more money for health care professionals, and reducing waiting lists. Saskatchewan Premier Lorne Calvert announced that some of the extra transfer money he will get will be used to somehow lower education taxes in that province, a hot issue for property owners who pay the highest school taxes in the country. Downplayed by former Manitoba Health Minister Chomiak and new minister Tim Sale, who claim wait times for surgery and diagnostic tests have declined (due to the extra federal cash), such wait times continue to plague the system. Prior to the federal-provincial meeting, Manitoba Tory leader Stuart Murray called on the Province to set up a health care professionals advisory council to provide advice and solutions to the government. Murray said: "As one example, Gary Doer has done nothing over the last five years to shorten the length of time that Manitoba patients have to wait for needed diagnostic tests or for things such as hip or knee replacement surgeries. This government needs new ideas, they need expert advice, and they can get that through this type of advisory council." The Tory leader is adamant that money alone will not fix health care, but the province needs new ideas and meaningful reform. If you think wait times have improved or disappeared, listen to Flin Flonner Ken Reader's saga (used with Ken's permission) which contradicts Gary Doer's Oct. 20th interview when the Premier said they were greatly improved. Jan. 1996: -cancerous left kidney removed. Feb. 2004: - ultrasound reveals tumors in right kidney. March 5, 2004: - C.T. scan in The Pas reveals two tumors. March 22, 2004: - appointment with kidney specialist in Winnipeg. March 24, 2004: - emergency M.R.I. ordered and Ken referred to surgeon in Winnipeg for urgent action. May 6, 2004: - first appointment with surgeon (six weeks later) with surgery set for July (it never happened). Mid Sept. 2004: - appointment set for surgery on Sept. 27th at St. Boniface Hospital. Sept. 21, 2004: - surgery cancelled and re-scheduled at Health Science Centre because equipment needed had been moved to H.S.C. This meant a new appointment had to be set up. Oct. 14, 2004 - pre-op meeting and surgery set for 7-10 days. It was actually set for Nov. 8th back at St. Boniface - no reason why given. From the time of diagnosis in February to the operation, wait time was nine months, and we are talking about a serious operation, not minor or cosmetic surgery. Ken also mentioned a Flin Flon friend who had the same diagnosis, was given a five month wait time, which he ignored by flying to Edmonton and paid for his own operation. This is universal health care? Remember, it could happen to you or me! Manitobans and Canadians in general often compare our system with the "for profit" U.S. health system. Claims are it is much superior, covers everyone, and is much cheaper. In the U.S. however, if you have insurance provided by your employer or bought privately, or are a visitor with travel insurance (or money), you can get instant care - the best in the world. Wait times are a few days to see a specialist or have an operation, which is why wealthy Canadians go to Rochester, Minnesota or elsewhere for needed care. In reality we already have a two-tier system. This is not to say there are no problems in the American system, which there are. One problem, which President Bush promised to fix was frivolous malpractice medical lawsuits, fueled at least in part by ambulance-chasing trial lawyers. This has caused escalating malpractice insurance costs for doctors, many of whom have had to give up their practices. A recent study of 781 doctors in rural Florida found that more than half have cut back on procedures - from delivering babies to staffing operating rooms - eliminating anything with high risks. The survey showed childbirth the most likely procedure to be stopped or reduced - 61% said the had cut back on normal deliveries. Any pregnant patients with medical problems are sent to major cities. They do no high-risk surgeries, as the chances of being sued are too high. Surgical doctors reported a 94% increase in premiums this year. What this is causing is travel and wait times to increase for rural patients. Also, many doctors are leaving "high risk states" or practicing without malpractice insurance. Here is an example of a malpractice trial happening at this writing in Tampa Bay: Four years ago a two year-old boy was bitten by a diamond-back rattlesnake in his back yard. He was treated, then flown an hour later to Bayfront Hospital, but died the next day. The parents sued the two emergency room doctors, saying they should have been able to save the boy. An expert witness for the parents is a 9-year emergency room doctor who hosts a TV show about snakes on the Animal Planet chanel, called Venom E.R., and who has testified in a number of snakebite trials. A defense doctor witness said that the boy was treated too late and the E.R. doctors did all they could. This trial shows what the doctors are saying, that "someone is to blame" when a patient has complications or can't be saved. They are demanding protection from frivolous lawsuits. Readers should realize that such malpractice cases are rare in Canada, not because we have few rattlesnakes, but that civil trials do not have juries, instead a judge or a judicial panel, thus few malpractice awards. There are also few "professional witnesses" As before mentioned, a Federal judge told "The Corner" that juries are only allowed in defamation trials, and even then are rarely allowed. Perhaps some of these doctors leaving U.S. states because of malpractice insurance costs will come to Canada and relieve our shortage of doctors in rural areas.
