BIRD TALK

Dear Bird Talk,
The article in your magazine, #59 By Dr. Bob MacMillan was interesting and while the author seems to have a handle on the medical system in Toronto, Ontario, he doesn’t have much knowledge about Atlantic Canada, or at least Nova Scotia. We don’t have Private Clinics here and the wait times to see a doctor, let alone a Surgeon or Specialist, are unacceptable. Good doctors have a patient load of about 1000 and this is more than twice as many as the average for the 30 countries that make up the OECD [Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development] group. In fact the average number of doctors per 1000 people in the OECD countries is 3.1. Canada is down the list at #27 out of the 30 countries. Just close to a disgrace. Check it out on the Internet and get disgusted. We have 2.1 doctors per 1000.

Politicians have failed miserably in recent years and whatever we think, the truth is “Don’t get sick”. A little honesty will tell us that the huge amount of tax dollars that started out to pay for Tommy Douglas’ health plan has now been diverted to General Revenue by both levels of Government and is used for other purposes. We have not had Politicians that will put Health Care on the front burner. The system has been studied to death at huge expense,“waste”. It really is quite simple; we need more Doctors and Nurses. Why is that hard to understand?

My wife and I volunteer at the local hospital and the one in Zephyrhills, Florida. What outstanding doctors, nurses, and diagnostic people work there? At both hospitals they are caring, competent, and top notch people. The doctors, especially, work under great pressure and can only deal with life threatening cases. Our system is in a mess and getting worse.

Please use your influence, and ask your readers to expect a lot more from their employees called Politicians. The matter should get on the front page and get action, not more studies. Let’s work together.

Yours very truly,
G. Morse

Response:
You are absolutely right! Our tax dollars should be spent on doctors, nurses, equipment, facilities and access, not on studies that confirm we need them and an overwhelming bureaucracy. 2.1 doctors per 1000 people is a travesty, and that really means that 300 people have a doctor and 700 people have none. We are one of the most civilized countries in the world but we cannot get medical treatment when we need it. We, and the CSA, want measured medical outcomes and measured waiting times, not fuzzy promises. It is called “accountability”. Another problem I personally encountered in Nova Scotia was the reluctance to operate on older people. Almost every study on heart operations indicates that the best outcomes and the“most increased quality of life” is found in older patients. We have a lot of work to do.