My Mother's Life Dedicated to the Only Woman I'll Love, My Mother.

From one blue ribbon panel, to another, they all proclaim that our National Health Plan is good, but needs some care, to make it more efficient, more responsive to the needs of the people. They all agree that it is a better solution than a two tier system, which Gordon Campbell is moving towards, which Stephen Harper would love to see.  Both seem unaware of the blue ribbon panel reports, or they simply are disregarding it, in favor of the plans put forth by their corporate sponsors.

I have no personal association with any Health Care services, whether it be my profession, or vocation. I am not a Nurse, Doctor, or Technician. I am not affiliated with any political party, nor am I a member of any Union.

I am simply, a son who wants to make sure that his mother’s remaining days, weeks, months, or hopefully years, are as comfortable, pleasant, as possible. In short, I want her to get the care she is deserving of, for being 92 years old.

I think that it is time, that people woke up to the simple reality of life. THEY WILL SOON BE OLDER, IN NEED OF THE CARE OF ANOTHER, SUCH AS DOCTORS, NURSES, ORDERLIES, HOME SUPPORT WORKERS. We, as citizens, can no longer sit by and allow our destiny, our so called ” Golden Years ” to be dictated to, by Unions, Business, & Political Hacks.

In short.  THE SYSTEM.

Today, we seem to be under the impression, that Health Care has to be profitable. Now, I don’t know when that changed, or came into being, but frankly, I DON’T BUY IT.

I am not some die hard socialist who believes that the solution to every problem, rests with Government. HOWEVER, I do believe that Government does have a role to play. Unfortunately, it seems today that the role Government is playing, is to feed the private coffers of Big Business, Special Interest Groups, & Big Labour.

Individual people, are being forgotten, or ignored, in return to keep expenses down, to keep profits up, and to keep people earning more.

We are so consumed by the need for money, for more profits, that we are forgetting the very principles for which our society has been founded on. People in the Health Industry (which is a term that infuriates me) have forgotten, that their role is to help people, not machines, not cattle.

Don’t get me wrong, there is absolutely nothing wrong in making money, but should it be in Health Care? Should we be so consumed by profits, that we ignore the needs of the people under our care? See, that is why I believe, that Government should be the lead in Health Care. Not because they are more efficient, or anything else, but that they DO NOT HAVE TO SHOW A PROFIT EVERY QUARTER!

I am all for getting value for my tax dollar, but I am also aware that certain areas of Government are not going to come in on budget. For example, Education is not run at a profit, now is it? Neither is Law Enforcement, so why do we expect Health Care to be?

Cost Effective is not synonymous with Profits.

As a user of our Health Care System, I can honestly say that it isn’t about any one thing, that makes it so costly. I can see that equipment is a huge expense, as is labour, but frankly, it is how the system that governs all that, makes for a costly program.  We are WASTING the most important asset we have, which is the PEOPLE WHO WORK IN THE SYSTEM.

We are so consumed with the cost, that we are forgetting what the system is for. It isn’t about keeping staff on their toes, isn’t about having fancy new equipent the instant they are invented. It certainly isn’t about making money to pay for new roads either.

The system in place today, is geared towards monitoring services provided, not in insuring that the appropriate services are given. It isn’t about the users of the health system, but, is about those working for the health system. It is also, about scoring brownie points with the electorate, rather than in running a truly efficient health care system.