winnipegsun.com - Manitoba - Think tank praises clinic: "Sat, November 26, 2005
Think tank praises clinicPublic, private health-care best
By ROCHELLE SQUIRES, LEGISLATURE REPORTER
mix of public and private health-service offerings would draw more workers to the system, reduce costs, improve service and increase efficiencies, says a public policy analyst.
"Competition from private providers is no threat to the public system, in fact it will save the system," said Dennis Owens of the Frontier Centre for Public Policy, a privately funded think tank with offices in Winnipeg.
From his research, Owens believes a monopolized health care system de-emphasizes service and has a harder time attracting and retaining workers.
He doesn't understand why NDP Health Minister Tim Sale is opposed to the Maples Surgical Centre providing MRI scans to the public for a fee.
The clinic -- owned by Dr. Mark Godley -- is poised to begin selling MRI scans to the public for a $695 fee.
"When I hear Tim Sale tell someone he can't sell a product on the public market, I think of a dictator," said Owens. "Cuba and North Korea are the only other countries in the world that would say to a guy like Dr. Godley that he can't provide his service."
A mix of public and private health-service offerings would draw more workers to the system, reduce costs, improve service and increase efficiencies, says a public policy analyst.
'Competition from private providers is no threat to the public system, in fact it will save the system,' said Dennis Owens of the Frontier Centre for Public Policy, a privately funded think tank with offices in Winnipeg.
From his research, Owens believes a monopolized health care system de-emphasizes service and has a harder time attracting and retaining workers.
He doesn't understand why NDP Health Minister Tim Sale is opposed to the Maples Surgical Centre providing MRI scans to the public for a fee. "
Saturday, November 26, 2005
Friday, November 25, 2005
Candidate for legal health challenge needed
Any legal means to get value for our money is encouraged . Are you the one who will make the difference? QJ
Hello friends of freedom,
Now that Quebec's health care law has been invalidated by the Supreme Court of Canada, the Canadian Constitution Foundation wants to challenge regressive health care laws in other provinces, using the Chaoulli decision as a precedent.
We are looking for a suitable plaintiff, for whom we can provide free legal representation in challenging a provincial law. The plaintiff must be unafraid of publicity, and willing to do radio, newspaper and television interviews from time to time. The plaintiff must be personally affected by the legal prohibition on buying private medical insurance, ie. someone who is suffering on a waiting list, unable to access necessary medical care.
There won't be any financial stress for the plaintiff, as legal representation will be provided without cost.
However, there will be stress in "going public" with the complaint, doing media interviews from time to time, being cross-examined by the government's lawyers, plus a few court appearances.
The battle, from start to finish, will take years, not months.
The plaintiff must be willing to stick with it, even if she or he obtains medical treatment before the court makes a ruling.
If you know of a person who is willing and able to handle the stress of being a plaintiff -- for the good cause of freedom -- please refer them to me, or pass this e-mail along to them.
Yours sincerely,
John Carpay
Executive Director
Canadian Constitution Foundation
Phone: 403-592-1731
Email: jcarpay@shaw.ca
Hello friends of freedom,
Now that Quebec's health care law has been invalidated by the Supreme Court of Canada, the Canadian Constitution Foundation wants to challenge regressive health care laws in other provinces, using the Chaoulli decision as a precedent.
We are looking for a suitable plaintiff, for whom we can provide free legal representation in challenging a provincial law. The plaintiff must be unafraid of publicity, and willing to do radio, newspaper and television interviews from time to time. The plaintiff must be personally affected by the legal prohibition on buying private medical insurance, ie. someone who is suffering on a waiting list, unable to access necessary medical care.
There won't be any financial stress for the plaintiff, as legal representation will be provided without cost.
However, there will be stress in "going public" with the complaint, doing media interviews from time to time, being cross-examined by the government's lawyers, plus a few court appearances.
The battle, from start to finish, will take years, not months.
The plaintiff must be willing to stick with it, even if she or he obtains medical treatment before the court makes a ruling.
If you know of a person who is willing and able to handle the stress of being a plaintiff -- for the good cause of freedom -- please refer them to me, or pass this e-mail along to them.
Yours sincerely,
John Carpay
Executive Director
Canadian Constitution Foundation
Phone: 403-592-1731
Email: jcarpay@shaw.ca
winnipegsun.com - Manitoba - NDP all alone on punishing private MRIs
More on the right to provide basic services outside of the health monopoly. QJ
winnipegsun.com - Manitoba - NDP all alone on punishing private MRIs: "Not violating the act
In the late 1990s, when Ottawa fined provinces for allowing private clinics to charge facility fees, they fined all provinces at the same time, including Manitoba.
And all provinces fell in line and ended the practice. Not the case with MRIs and other diagnostic tests.
For starters, the Canada Health Act says diagnostic testing, unless it's provided in a hospital, is not an insured service. Which means clinics can charge for them and they're not violating the act.
Manitoba's own regulations under the Health Services Act, Sec. 17, says the same thing. The service is not insured 'unless provided in a hospital as an in-patient or out-patient service.'
So both laws say it's OK. And the feds are not going to act on it, despite their verbal warnings over the past few years. "
winnipegsun.com - Manitoba - NDP all alone on punishing private MRIs: "Not violating the act
In the late 1990s, when Ottawa fined provinces for allowing private clinics to charge facility fees, they fined all provinces at the same time, including Manitoba.
And all provinces fell in line and ended the practice. Not the case with MRIs and other diagnostic tests.
For starters, the Canada Health Act says diagnostic testing, unless it's provided in a hospital, is not an insured service. Which means clinics can charge for them and they're not violating the act.
Manitoba's own regulations under the Health Services Act, Sec. 17, says the same thing. The service is not insured 'unless provided in a hospital as an in-patient or out-patient service.'
So both laws say it's OK. And the feds are not going to act on it, despite their verbal warnings over the past few years. "
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
National Post Canadians want more choice and lower waiting times
National Post: "A majority of respondents to the survey believe wait times for elective surgery have become longer in the past two years -- 66% of the public, 64% of nurses and 58% of physicians.
This could translate into growing support for alternative options, he said."
This could translate into growing support for alternative options, he said."
Monday, November 21, 2005
Hamilton Why dont they let foreign doctors to practise?
This is in reference to the preceding post. Why does the government not create a new class of practi0nioners as a alternative to the existing crisis ? Stop gap the problem -while the existing system gets fixed. QJ
Hamilton: "OMA: shortage places system 'at risk'
By Keith Leslie
Canadian Press
Monday, November 21, 2005
CREDIT: National Post
The Ontario Medical Association says the province's health care system is 'at risk' due to a shortage of doctors.
CH HAMILTON
Back to Hamilton city page
OMA: shortage places system 'at risk'
By Keith Leslie
Canadian Press
Monday, November 21, 2005
CREDIT: National Post
The Ontario Medical Association says the province's health care system is 'at risk' due to a shortage of doctors.
ADVERTISEMENT
TORONTO -- The stability of Ontario's health-care system is "at risk'' due to the shortage of physicians -- especially family doctors -- according to a new study prepared for the Ontario Medical Association.
The Canadian Press obtained a copy of the report, prepared by the OMA's human resources committee, which said the doctor shortage in Ontario had become much worse since it first warned the problem represented a "looming crisis'' in 1999.
"The year 2005 finds the province in the midst of a deepening physician resources crisis,'' it concludes.
"Family medicine in particular has deteriorated into a dying specialty and requires urgent resuscitation.''
Last Thursday, Health Minister George Smitherman announced an additional $33 million in government funding for medical schools to create 141 new family residency positions in the province next year. Smitherman said that means there will be 337 more family doctors ready to practise by 2008.
The OMA's report acknowledged the Liberal government's efforts to address the doctor shortage, but gave the province an overall grade of C, and said much more must be done.
"The government has taken a number of steps to increase the number of doctors trained in Ontario, and certifying those who trained abroad...(and) to make Ontario more competitive with other jurisdictions,'' OMA President Dr. Greg Flynn said in an e-mail exchange with The Canadian Press.
"Unfortunately there remains more to do before we will see real improvements in the ability of patients to access the necessary care that doctors provide in our communities.''
The OMA report said the province needs at least 2,100 physicians. It estimated there are 1.2 million Ontario residents without a family doctor -- 10 per cent of the population -- and warned that number would grow to 1.4 million in 2006.
Ontario now is seventh in Canada for the population per physician ratio, ahead of only the much less populous provinces of New Brunswick, Saskatchewan and Prince Edward Island.
The report also warned the number of physicians working in specialties with long waiting lists -- such as diagnostic services, oncology, orthopedics and ophthalmology -- is also declining.
"Even worse, OMA projections indicate a further deterioration of the physician supply over the next five years, despite the efforts taken to ease the shortage.''
Writing from Sault Ste. Marie, Flynn said he heard about the problem in every one of the 22 Ontario communities he's visited in the last few months to meet with municipal leaders, health-care workers and patients.
"The number one concern in each of those communities remains the doctor shortage,'' he said.
The report warned that statistics alone "don't adequately describe the depth of the problem,'' noting that while the population is aging and putting more demands on the health-care system, doctors are getting older too. It found 19 per cent of practising MDs -- about 4,100 Ontario doctors -- are over age 60, and 11 per cent -- or 2,300 doctors -- are over age 65.
"Retirement alone will greatly impact physician supply over the next five years, while many other older MDs will be scaling back their practices, adding to the overall shortage of physician services,'' it said.
The report provides a lengthy list of recommendations to address the shortage, and said the government should make it easier for doctors from other provinces to work in Ontario and for the more than 10,000 Canadian-trained physicians working in the United States to return and work here.
"Much more can be done to successfully and quickly recruit excellent physicians from this pool,'' it said.
The OMA also wants the province to make family medicine a much more attractive option for students, with better financial incentives, and also give the students more opportunities to re-certify in another specialty.
© Canadian Press 2005
TORONTO -- The stability of Ontario's health-care system is 'at risk'' due to the shortage of physicians -- especially family doctors -- according to a new study prepared for the Ontario Medical Association. "
Hamilton: "OMA: shortage places system 'at risk'
By Keith Leslie
Canadian Press
Monday, November 21, 2005
CREDIT: National Post
The Ontario Medical Association says the province's health care system is 'at risk' due to a shortage of doctors.
CH HAMILTON
Back to Hamilton city page
OMA: shortage places system 'at risk'
By Keith Leslie
Canadian Press
Monday, November 21, 2005
CREDIT: National Post
The Ontario Medical Association says the province's health care system is 'at risk' due to a shortage of doctors.
ADVERTISEMENT
TORONTO -- The stability of Ontario's health-care system is "at risk'' due to the shortage of physicians -- especially family doctors -- according to a new study prepared for the Ontario Medical Association.
The Canadian Press obtained a copy of the report, prepared by the OMA's human resources committee, which said the doctor shortage in Ontario had become much worse since it first warned the problem represented a "looming crisis'' in 1999.
"The year 2005 finds the province in the midst of a deepening physician resources crisis,'' it concludes.
"Family medicine in particular has deteriorated into a dying specialty and requires urgent resuscitation.''
Last Thursday, Health Minister George Smitherman announced an additional $33 million in government funding for medical schools to create 141 new family residency positions in the province next year. Smitherman said that means there will be 337 more family doctors ready to practise by 2008.
The OMA's report acknowledged the Liberal government's efforts to address the doctor shortage, but gave the province an overall grade of C, and said much more must be done.
"The government has taken a number of steps to increase the number of doctors trained in Ontario, and certifying those who trained abroad...(and) to make Ontario more competitive with other jurisdictions,'' OMA President Dr. Greg Flynn said in an e-mail exchange with The Canadian Press.
"Unfortunately there remains more to do before we will see real improvements in the ability of patients to access the necessary care that doctors provide in our communities.''
The OMA report said the province needs at least 2,100 physicians. It estimated there are 1.2 million Ontario residents without a family doctor -- 10 per cent of the population -- and warned that number would grow to 1.4 million in 2006.
Ontario now is seventh in Canada for the population per physician ratio, ahead of only the much less populous provinces of New Brunswick, Saskatchewan and Prince Edward Island.
The report also warned the number of physicians working in specialties with long waiting lists -- such as diagnostic services, oncology, orthopedics and ophthalmology -- is also declining.
"Even worse, OMA projections indicate a further deterioration of the physician supply over the next five years, despite the efforts taken to ease the shortage.''
Writing from Sault Ste. Marie, Flynn said he heard about the problem in every one of the 22 Ontario communities he's visited in the last few months to meet with municipal leaders, health-care workers and patients.
"The number one concern in each of those communities remains the doctor shortage,'' he said.
The report warned that statistics alone "don't adequately describe the depth of the problem,'' noting that while the population is aging and putting more demands on the health-care system, doctors are getting older too. It found 19 per cent of practising MDs -- about 4,100 Ontario doctors -- are over age 60, and 11 per cent -- or 2,300 doctors -- are over age 65.
"Retirement alone will greatly impact physician supply over the next five years, while many other older MDs will be scaling back their practices, adding to the overall shortage of physician services,'' it said.
The report provides a lengthy list of recommendations to address the shortage, and said the government should make it easier for doctors from other provinces to work in Ontario and for the more than 10,000 Canadian-trained physicians working in the United States to return and work here.
"Much more can be done to successfully and quickly recruit excellent physicians from this pool,'' it said.
The OMA also wants the province to make family medicine a much more attractive option for students, with better financial incentives, and also give the students more opportunities to re-certify in another specialty.
© Canadian Press 2005
TORONTO -- The stability of Ontario's health-care system is 'at risk'' due to the shortage of physicians -- especially family doctors -- according to a new study prepared for the Ontario Medical Association. "
Sunday, November 20, 2005
www.notcanada.com
Unbelievable - these people are resources that are misused. QJ It is tradgic that Canada has so many options and yet cannot mobilize them for the common good . Lets do something to change the situation . Q-J We should all be getting tired of the non performance.
www.notcanada.com: "Why Is Canada Shutting Out Doctors?
While millions of Canadians can�t find a doctor, thousands of foreign physicians can�t get a licence to practise
"
www.notcanada.com: "Why Is Canada Shutting Out Doctors?
While millions of Canadians can�t find a doctor, thousands of foreign physicians can�t get a licence to practise
"
winnipegsun.com - Tom Brodbeck - Don't blame NDP gov't for everything
More voices for choice and a good review of why MRI's should not be apublic monopoly.
The key is that the monopoly cannot keep up with the demand. "Some monopoly and only in Canada "-huh! Q-J
winnipegsun.com - Tom Brodbeck - Don't blame NDP gov't for everything
But there isn't.
You can blame the NDP government in Manitoba for screwing up a lot of things in health care since it took office in 1999.
But on diagnostic services, they've done about as much as any government could be expected to do without raising taxes any further than they already have.
You can accuse them of breaking their election promises on reducing these wait times, because they have broken their promise.
But the truth is, there's not a whole lot more they could have done on diagnostics.
In the 1990s, it was fashionable to blame health care woes on government cut-backs.
The federal Liberals slashed transfer payments to the provinces by some $6 billion a year, making it very difficult for provinces such as Manitoba to increase funding for health care.
Despite the federal cuts, the former Filmon government was able to make small increases to its health budget in the mid-1990s, followed by several years of healthy increases until they were defeated in 1999.
The Doer government inherited a strong set of books and revenue streams when it came to office and dumped billions into the health-care budget, some of which did some good, much of which got lost in a growing, bloated bureaucracy.
Diagnostic services -- MRIs, CT scans and ultrasounds -- were the beneficiaries of some of those riches.
In Winnipeg, the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority was able to substantially increase its capacity for diagnostic services.
Trouble is, the demand is so gargantuan for MRIs and CT scans, it's almost impossible for any government to keep pace with it.
In 1999, the WRHA was doing about 1,000 scans a month. There were about 1,500 people on the waiting list at that time, which stood at around three to four months.
Fast-forward six years. The WRHA is now doing twice as many scans to try to eliminate the backlog.
But the demand is too great.
MRIs are very popular and useful tools for doctors to diagnose all kinds of ailments and the government monopoly system simply can't keep up with the volume.
The more capacity they add, the greater the demand grows.
Health Minister Tim Sale said recently that the government has enough MRIs in the province to provide the volume of scans it can afford.
And that's the key -- what it can afford.
The government recently added another MRI at the nationalized Pan Am Clinic which is expected to add more volume to the system, although a good chunk of that volume has been purchased by the Workers Compensation Board for priority access.
(If you're an injured worker covered by WCB and require an MRI, you will get speedier access to an MRI at Pan Am than the average guy on the street. Two-tier? Of course it is.)
But even with all the added capacity, the wait list for MRIs has still not come down and even if it does, it will still likely be an eight- to 10-week waiting period.
Which is why people should have the right to use their own money to buy an MRI scan privately if they choose.
And that's why the Maples Surgical Centre in Winnipeg plans to provide MRI services to the public for $695 a scan.
It's not because the government has necessarily done a poor job in providing MRI services. It's just that at some point you have to give your head a shake and realize that government can't be the sole provider of all health care services. There should be alternative options to access care.
We do it with schools. Government provides a universally accessible public school system. And much of it is excellent.
Nevertheless, people have the right to buy education services privately if they choose, many paying thousands of dollars a year to put their children into schools of their choice.
The government can't be the sole provider of K-12 schooling. It can ensure that basic schooling is available to all. But it can't be all things to all people.
Nor can health care.
It's time we stopped fooling ourselves that it can.
( It is also time to allow others to offer the needed services QJ)
The key is that the monopoly cannot keep up with the demand. "Some monopoly and only in Canada "-huh! Q-J
winnipegsun.com - Tom Brodbeck - Don't blame NDP gov't for everything
But there isn't.
You can blame the NDP government in Manitoba for screwing up a lot of things in health care since it took office in 1999.
But on diagnostic services, they've done about as much as any government could be expected to do without raising taxes any further than they already have.
You can accuse them of breaking their election promises on reducing these wait times, because they have broken their promise.
But the truth is, there's not a whole lot more they could have done on diagnostics.
In the 1990s, it was fashionable to blame health care woes on government cut-backs.
The federal Liberals slashed transfer payments to the provinces by some $6 billion a year, making it very difficult for provinces such as Manitoba to increase funding for health care.
Despite the federal cuts, the former Filmon government was able to make small increases to its health budget in the mid-1990s, followed by several years of healthy increases until they were defeated in 1999.
The Doer government inherited a strong set of books and revenue streams when it came to office and dumped billions into the health-care budget, some of which did some good, much of which got lost in a growing, bloated bureaucracy.
Diagnostic services -- MRIs, CT scans and ultrasounds -- were the beneficiaries of some of those riches.
In Winnipeg, the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority was able to substantially increase its capacity for diagnostic services.
Trouble is, the demand is so gargantuan for MRIs and CT scans, it's almost impossible for any government to keep pace with it.
In 1999, the WRHA was doing about 1,000 scans a month. There were about 1,500 people on the waiting list at that time, which stood at around three to four months.
Fast-forward six years. The WRHA is now doing twice as many scans to try to eliminate the backlog.
But the demand is too great.
MRIs are very popular and useful tools for doctors to diagnose all kinds of ailments and the government monopoly system simply can't keep up with the volume.
The more capacity they add, the greater the demand grows.
Health Minister Tim Sale said recently that the government has enough MRIs in the province to provide the volume of scans it can afford.
And that's the key -- what it can afford.
The government recently added another MRI at the nationalized Pan Am Clinic which is expected to add more volume to the system, although a good chunk of that volume has been purchased by the Workers Compensation Board for priority access.
(If you're an injured worker covered by WCB and require an MRI, you will get speedier access to an MRI at Pan Am than the average guy on the street. Two-tier? Of course it is.)
But even with all the added capacity, the wait list for MRIs has still not come down and even if it does, it will still likely be an eight- to 10-week waiting period.
Which is why people should have the right to use their own money to buy an MRI scan privately if they choose.
And that's why the Maples Surgical Centre in Winnipeg plans to provide MRI services to the public for $695 a scan.
It's not because the government has necessarily done a poor job in providing MRI services. It's just that at some point you have to give your head a shake and realize that government can't be the sole provider of all health care services. There should be alternative options to access care.
We do it with schools. Government provides a universally accessible public school system. And much of it is excellent.
Nevertheless, people have the right to buy education services privately if they choose, many paying thousands of dollars a year to put their children into schools of their choice.
The government can't be the sole provider of K-12 schooling. It can ensure that basic schooling is available to all. But it can't be all things to all people.
Nor can health care.
It's time we stopped fooling ourselves that it can.
( It is also time to allow others to offer the needed services QJ)
winnipegsun.com - Editorial - Just what the doctor ordered
Good news some people support health choice. It is time that the major media take action and hold the public health authorities to account. QJ
winnipegsun.com - Editorial - Just what the doctor ordered
The Maples Surgical Centre is planning to sell MRI scans directly to the public. It's good news for health care in Manitoba. And it's exactly the kind of alternatives people need to get the best available care for them and their families.
Canadians have for years relied on a government monopoly health-care system to access care. It's given us mixed results.
While we have some of the best medical practitioners in the world in Canada and we receive excellent medical care in many situations, there are also serious shortcomings in the system.
One of the biggest ones is the unacceptably long waiting lists for services such as surgery and diagnostic imaging.
Governments have been unable to bring these waiting lists down over the years. And it hasn't been for a lack of money.
In Manitoba, the provincial health care budget has soared to $3.4 billion from $2.4 billion just five years ago. Despite that, the typical wait for hip replacement surgery is two years. And the wait for an elective MRI is three to four months.
The Maples Surgical Centre says it will be able to book an MRI within 48 hours.
There's a fee, of course. It's $695. But for those whose priority it is to get an MRI scan as quickly as possible, they will now have the option of using their own money for expedited service.
We think that's a right people deserve.
Eventually, these types of services may be covered under private health insurance plans, which many people already buy.
There will be some who criticize this free-market approach to health care, claiming it's the slippery slope to the end of medicare.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
When a clinic like The Maples sells MRIs to the public directly, it does nothing to erode the quality or quantity of MRI scans the government provides.
In fact, people who buy the scans privately take themselves off the public queue and make that list shorter for others.
Besides, a recent Supreme Court of Canada ruling on private health insurance is clear. The top court ruled recently in a Quebec case that government can't deny people the right to buy private medical services if government is not providing those services in a timely manner.
Clearly, government is not providing MRIs in a timely manner.
winnipegsun.com - Editorial - Just what the doctor ordered
The Maples Surgical Centre is planning to sell MRI scans directly to the public. It's good news for health care in Manitoba. And it's exactly the kind of alternatives people need to get the best available care for them and their families.
Canadians have for years relied on a government monopoly health-care system to access care. It's given us mixed results.
While we have some of the best medical practitioners in the world in Canada and we receive excellent medical care in many situations, there are also serious shortcomings in the system.
One of the biggest ones is the unacceptably long waiting lists for services such as surgery and diagnostic imaging.
Governments have been unable to bring these waiting lists down over the years. And it hasn't been for a lack of money.
In Manitoba, the provincial health care budget has soared to $3.4 billion from $2.4 billion just five years ago. Despite that, the typical wait for hip replacement surgery is two years. And the wait for an elective MRI is three to four months.
The Maples Surgical Centre says it will be able to book an MRI within 48 hours.
There's a fee, of course. It's $695. But for those whose priority it is to get an MRI scan as quickly as possible, they will now have the option of using their own money for expedited service.
We think that's a right people deserve.
Eventually, these types of services may be covered under private health insurance plans, which many people already buy.
There will be some who criticize this free-market approach to health care, claiming it's the slippery slope to the end of medicare.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
When a clinic like The Maples sells MRIs to the public directly, it does nothing to erode the quality or quantity of MRI scans the government provides.
In fact, people who buy the scans privately take themselves off the public queue and make that list shorter for others.
Besides, a recent Supreme Court of Canada ruling on private health insurance is clear. The top court ruled recently in a Quebec case that government can't deny people the right to buy private medical services if government is not providing those services in a timely manner.
Clearly, government is not providing MRIs in a timely manner.
Thursday, November 17, 2005
Has Canadian health progressed from MEDIEVAL TIMES-HUMOUR
What knowledge did medieval people have in the way of health?
There were many myths and superstitions about health and hygiene in medieval Europe, as there still are today. People believed, for example, that disease was spread by bad odors. It was also assumed that diseases of the body resulted from sins of the soul. Many people sought relief from their ills through meditation, prayer, pilgrimages, and other nonmedical methods.
And in Canada today
The health myths continue. The bad odor –of having the best health system in the world –is spread by Ottawa and the health priest cast-along with the message that it is sinful to use health services not provided by their public health temples- that are seemingly self- serving and , overstaffed with high paid health temple workers. Many people make pilgrimages to other lands and places to seek treatment.
Did they really think that all illness was the result of sin?
Sin was regarded by early medieval authors as the cause of sickness in the sense that without sin there would have been no material evil. This obviously does not imply that a sinful individual would become sick. One's own general sinfulness was often given as the cause of one's own sickness. This was more a result of a kind of a "guilt trip" rather than actual cause and effect occurrence.
And in Canada today
It is a sin to use remedies or services that are not sanctioned by Ottawa’s National Health Act or the directives of the provincial Health Temple authorities. In a convoluted way, the message is that if you use the public health system there will
be no sickness.
What was their view on the body and its 'humors?'
The body was viewed as a part of the universe, a concept derived from the Greeks and Romans. Four humors, or body fluids, were directly related to the four elements: fire=yellow bile or choler; water=phlegm; earth=black bile; air=blood. These four humors had to be balanced. Too much of one was thought to cause a change in personality--for example, too much black bile could create melancholy.
And in Canada today
The four elements have been changed to defend the current status quo. fire=campaigns against other health delivery options, Water= the need and right for obscene amounts of public money, earth= the right to legislate laws for the health monopoly, Air= the right to keep health customers waiting and needy .
Many people today think the existing health system is out of balance and needs fixing.
What did they use in the form of medicine?
Medieval remedies were often herbal in nature, but also included ground earthworms, urine, and animal excrement. Many medieval medical manuscripts contained recipes for remedies that called for hundreds of therapeutic substances--the notion that every substance in nature held some sort of power accounts for the enormous variety of substances.
And in Canada today
Major remedies are made from the same ingredient but are sold by major drug companies -often as a adjunct to the “authorized” health temple authority. The cost of the remedy has increased as the supply is artificially limited, and the demand increased through legislation. Many remedies that work are not allowed because that would reduce the need for more expensive legislated alternatives produced by friends of the health temple authority.
The health authorities are trying to control and legislate any alternative healing source ingredients. Fortunately –they have not always been successful. More people are taking control of their own health, taking preventive measures, as they become more cynical of the “expensive” free public health delivery system. The internet and the instant knowledge available have made this personal act of empowerment and defiance of the given monopoly authorities easier.
Did everyone have access to a doctor?
In medieval times, medical treatment was available mainly to the wealthy, and those living in villages rarely had the help of doctors, who practiced mostly in the cities and courts. Many treatments were administered by people outside the medical tradition. Coroners' rolls from the time reveal how lay persons often made sophisticated medical judgments without the aid of medical experts.
And in Canada today
The myth that everyone gets treated equally, whatever the location or class, is propagated- but unfortunately not true. In reality, those who are wealthy can get service by escaping the existing monopoly jurisdiction and avoid the fatal waiting lines- which are free. The world has healthy alternatives that you can choose if you have the means, will and brains to do so.
Lay persons still make sophisticated judgments without the aid of medical experts. These lay persons consume a disproportionate amount of the health budget. There are a lot of these non health productive people in the “health temple system. The list, by no means exhaustive, includes the temple administrators, federal and provincial health bureaucracies, and all the gatekeepers of the status quo.
Fortunately, there are people and organizations, who are feed up with current medieval system of health delivery in Canada. Help them to help you be healthy.
Health Choice is a wonderful right that must be nourished.
There were many myths and superstitions about health and hygiene in medieval Europe, as there still are today. People believed, for example, that disease was spread by bad odors. It was also assumed that diseases of the body resulted from sins of the soul. Many people sought relief from their ills through meditation, prayer, pilgrimages, and other nonmedical methods.
And in Canada today
The health myths continue. The bad odor –of having the best health system in the world –is spread by Ottawa and the health priest cast-along with the message that it is sinful to use health services not provided by their public health temples- that are seemingly self- serving and , overstaffed with high paid health temple workers. Many people make pilgrimages to other lands and places to seek treatment.
Did they really think that all illness was the result of sin?
Sin was regarded by early medieval authors as the cause of sickness in the sense that without sin there would have been no material evil. This obviously does not imply that a sinful individual would become sick. One's own general sinfulness was often given as the cause of one's own sickness. This was more a result of a kind of a "guilt trip" rather than actual cause and effect occurrence.
And in Canada today
It is a sin to use remedies or services that are not sanctioned by Ottawa’s National Health Act or the directives of the provincial Health Temple authorities. In a convoluted way, the message is that if you use the public health system there will
be no sickness.
What was their view on the body and its 'humors?'
The body was viewed as a part of the universe, a concept derived from the Greeks and Romans. Four humors, or body fluids, were directly related to the four elements: fire=yellow bile or choler; water=phlegm; earth=black bile; air=blood. These four humors had to be balanced. Too much of one was thought to cause a change in personality--for example, too much black bile could create melancholy.
And in Canada today
The four elements have been changed to defend the current status quo. fire=campaigns against other health delivery options, Water= the need and right for obscene amounts of public money, earth= the right to legislate laws for the health monopoly, Air= the right to keep health customers waiting and needy .
Many people today think the existing health system is out of balance and needs fixing.
What did they use in the form of medicine?
Medieval remedies were often herbal in nature, but also included ground earthworms, urine, and animal excrement. Many medieval medical manuscripts contained recipes for remedies that called for hundreds of therapeutic substances--the notion that every substance in nature held some sort of power accounts for the enormous variety of substances.
And in Canada today
Major remedies are made from the same ingredient but are sold by major drug companies -often as a adjunct to the “authorized” health temple authority. The cost of the remedy has increased as the supply is artificially limited, and the demand increased through legislation. Many remedies that work are not allowed because that would reduce the need for more expensive legislated alternatives produced by friends of the health temple authority.
The health authorities are trying to control and legislate any alternative healing source ingredients. Fortunately –they have not always been successful. More people are taking control of their own health, taking preventive measures, as they become more cynical of the “expensive” free public health delivery system. The internet and the instant knowledge available have made this personal act of empowerment and defiance of the given monopoly authorities easier.
Did everyone have access to a doctor?
In medieval times, medical treatment was available mainly to the wealthy, and those living in villages rarely had the help of doctors, who practiced mostly in the cities and courts. Many treatments were administered by people outside the medical tradition. Coroners' rolls from the time reveal how lay persons often made sophisticated medical judgments without the aid of medical experts.
And in Canada today
The myth that everyone gets treated equally, whatever the location or class, is propagated- but unfortunately not true. In reality, those who are wealthy can get service by escaping the existing monopoly jurisdiction and avoid the fatal waiting lines- which are free. The world has healthy alternatives that you can choose if you have the means, will and brains to do so.
Lay persons still make sophisticated judgments without the aid of medical experts. These lay persons consume a disproportionate amount of the health budget. There are a lot of these non health productive people in the “health temple system. The list, by no means exhaustive, includes the temple administrators, federal and provincial health bureaucracies, and all the gatekeepers of the status quo.
Fortunately, there are people and organizations, who are feed up with current medieval system of health delivery in Canada. Help them to help you be healthy.
Health Choice is a wonderful right that must be nourished.
Good news -providing a needed service is not illegal in Canada
Health fight aheadTories fret 'Americanization' with paid MRIs
By TOM BRODBECK
Health Minister Tim Sale has not shut the door on Manitobans' right to buy MRI scans from a private clinic in Winnipeg.
But the Opposition Tories have, calling the new service proposed by the Maples Surgical Centre the "Americanization" of health care.
Go figure.
The privately owned clinic is planning to sell the diagnostic scans to patients directly for $695.
They're promising a 48-hour turnaround on the service, a far cry from the three to four months patients in Winnipeg have to wait for an elective MRI at a government-run hospital.
Charging patients directly for an MRI at a private clinic is legal under the federal Canada Health Act because it's performed outside a hospital.
But provinces have the power to shut the practice down through provincial legislation if they wish. They would have to prosecute the clinic to do it, though.
When asked about the Maples' proposal yesterday, Sale was noncommittal.
"Well let's wait and see until their machine gets licensed," said Sale. "As far as we know it hasn't been licensed and no approvals have been given for what it can do."
So he hasn't said no and he hasn't said yes.
Private clinics in Nova Scotia, Quebec, Alberta and British Columbia already sell MRI scans, CT scans and ultrasounds directly to patients.
Manitoba would be the fifth province added to the list.
It would give patients the choice to buy an MRI directly from the clinic by paying out of pocket for the cost.
I asked Tory Opposition health critic Heather Stefanson what her party's position is on the private MRIs. She said the Tories are against allowing people to buy an MRI scan with their own money.
"At this point in time, we would not support that," said Stefanson. "I think it's something that we are going to have to discuss further as a party."
She also slammed the Doer government for letting the health-care system get to this point.
Tired old buzz words
"Ironically what's happening here is that the NDP is forcing the Americanization of our system," said Stefanson. "If the NDP properly managed the system and utilized public-private partnerships to help deliver services, I don't think we'd be in the situation we're in right now."
Funny, I would have thought a Conservative party would have been more in favour of patient choice. I expect NDP politicians to trot out tired old buzz words like the "Americanization" of health care. But I didn't expect it from the Tories.
Maybe it's just part of the identity crisis they're going through.
The issue of whether patients should be allowed to pay directly for diagnostic scans will eventually be before government.
Premier Gary Doer and his cabinet will have to decide at some point whether they're going to accept this or not.
When patients are forced to wait 12 to 16 weeks for an MRI in the government monopoly system, isn't it time to break up that monopoly?
Government can, and should, continue to cover MRIs for whoever needs them under the province's health insurance system.
But they should also allow people to use their own money to buy the scans directly if they choose.
You would think in a free and democratic society that government wouldn't deprive people of that choice.
This one could be a big battle, folks.
Reach Tom at 632-2742 or by e-mail at tbrodbeck@wpgsun.com.
By TOM BRODBECK
Health Minister Tim Sale has not shut the door on Manitobans' right to buy MRI scans from a private clinic in Winnipeg.
But the Opposition Tories have, calling the new service proposed by the Maples Surgical Centre the "Americanization" of health care.
Go figure.
The privately owned clinic is planning to sell the diagnostic scans to patients directly for $695.
They're promising a 48-hour turnaround on the service, a far cry from the three to four months patients in Winnipeg have to wait for an elective MRI at a government-run hospital.
Charging patients directly for an MRI at a private clinic is legal under the federal Canada Health Act because it's performed outside a hospital.
But provinces have the power to shut the practice down through provincial legislation if they wish. They would have to prosecute the clinic to do it, though.
When asked about the Maples' proposal yesterday, Sale was noncommittal.
"Well let's wait and see until their machine gets licensed," said Sale. "As far as we know it hasn't been licensed and no approvals have been given for what it can do."
So he hasn't said no and he hasn't said yes.
Private clinics in Nova Scotia, Quebec, Alberta and British Columbia already sell MRI scans, CT scans and ultrasounds directly to patients.
Manitoba would be the fifth province added to the list.
It would give patients the choice to buy an MRI directly from the clinic by paying out of pocket for the cost.
I asked Tory Opposition health critic Heather Stefanson what her party's position is on the private MRIs. She said the Tories are against allowing people to buy an MRI scan with their own money.
"At this point in time, we would not support that," said Stefanson. "I think it's something that we are going to have to discuss further as a party."
She also slammed the Doer government for letting the health-care system get to this point.
Tired old buzz words
"Ironically what's happening here is that the NDP is forcing the Americanization of our system," said Stefanson. "If the NDP properly managed the system and utilized public-private partnerships to help deliver services, I don't think we'd be in the situation we're in right now."
Funny, I would have thought a Conservative party would have been more in favour of patient choice. I expect NDP politicians to trot out tired old buzz words like the "Americanization" of health care. But I didn't expect it from the Tories.
Maybe it's just part of the identity crisis they're going through.
The issue of whether patients should be allowed to pay directly for diagnostic scans will eventually be before government.
Premier Gary Doer and his cabinet will have to decide at some point whether they're going to accept this or not.
When patients are forced to wait 12 to 16 weeks for an MRI in the government monopoly system, isn't it time to break up that monopoly?
Government can, and should, continue to cover MRIs for whoever needs them under the province's health insurance system.
But they should also allow people to use their own money to buy the scans directly if they choose.
You would think in a free and democratic society that government wouldn't deprive people of that choice.
This one could be a big battle, folks.
Reach Tom at 632-2742 or by e-mail at tbrodbeck@wpgsun.com.
Special rules for the special people
"Health-care hypocrisy
Why is Prime Minister Paul Martin silent on the growing moves to privatize health care in Quebec, which even his own party in that province now supports?
Quebec already has more private medical clinics than any other province in Canada -- including Martin's favourite whipping boy when it comes to medicare, Alberta.
Martin can't plead ignorance about the huge number of private clinics in Quebec. His own doctor runs one.
Last weekend, the Quebec wing of the federal Liberal party endorsed a resolution calling for the expansion of private health care in that province as a way of combating unacceptably long waiting lists for medical treatment. "
Why is Prime Minister Paul Martin silent on the growing moves to privatize health care in Quebec, which even his own party in that province now supports?
Quebec already has more private medical clinics than any other province in Canada -- including Martin's favourite whipping boy when it comes to medicare, Alberta.
Martin can't plead ignorance about the huge number of private clinics in Quebec. His own doctor runs one.
Last weekend, the Quebec wing of the federal Liberal party endorsed a resolution calling for the expansion of private health care in that province as a way of combating unacceptably long waiting lists for medical treatment. "
Saturday, November 12, 2005
winnipegsun.com - Editorial - This is dead wrong
In Holland, where euthanasia has been practised since the 1980s and legalized in 2002 and where thousands of ill or infirm men and women have been put to death -- many without their consent -- the Dutch government is now going to expand its euthanasia policy to allow doctors to kill not only supposedly terminally ill newborn babies, but children with mild deformities such as spina bifida, cerebral palsy and symptoms of possible retardation.
Though the Liberals plan to oppose the Bloc Quebecois bill -- as will the Conservatives -- it has apparently spurred Cotler to ponder whether prohibitions in the Criminal Code against euthanasia are "in step" with the times.
Cotler plans to look at "what is being done" in other countries and see if his Liberal government can come up with "the kind of law that might enjoy a consensus."
How fittingly macabre -- a bill about death that people can live with.
This bill -- and any future move towards euthanasia -- must be killed.
Though the Liberals plan to oppose the Bloc Quebecois bill -- as will the Conservatives -- it has apparently spurred Cotler to ponder whether prohibitions in the Criminal Code against euthanasia are "in step" with the times.
Cotler plans to look at "what is being done" in other countries and see if his Liberal government can come up with "the kind of law that might enjoy a consensus."
How fittingly macabre -- a bill about death that people can live with.
This bill -- and any future move towards euthanasia -- must be killed.
Friday, November 11, 2005
Doctors Wielding Data
Doctors Wielding Data: "Doctors Wielding Data
Helping patients and cutting costs
If you told most people when they walked into a hospital that the care they were going to get would be as strictly regimented as production in a factory, they'd probably turn around and walk out the door. Americans tend to think quality medicine means customized medicine. For care to be good, it has to be tailored just for them. "
Helping patients and cutting costs
If you told most people when they walked into a hospital that the care they were going to get would be as strictly regimented as production in a factory, they'd probably turn around and walk out the door. Americans tend to think quality medicine means customized medicine. For care to be good, it has to be tailored just for them. "
Thursday, November 10, 2005
No consequences for deadly care
winnipegsun.com - Manitoba - Hospital admits mistakes made
winnipegsun.com - Manitoba - Hospital admits mistakes made: "We need to have a health-care system that is held accountable,' said Gerrard, adding the bill would ensure measurable outcomes are in place and agreed-upon recommendations are implemented.
Another bereaved daughter was in the legislature gallery yesterday afternoon, also asking for accountability from the health minister.
Mimi Raglan's mom -- Frances Raglan -- was mistreated at Riverview Health Centre and died after being discharged in October 2001.
'It's outrageous there has been no apology to us. My mother was clearly put on the wrong treatment plan,' said Raglan.
Health Minister Tim Sale acknowledged the error and apologized for the family's grief but wouldn't commit to remedial action. "
winnipegsun.com - Manitoba - Hospital admits mistakes made: "We need to have a health-care system that is held accountable,' said Gerrard, adding the bill would ensure measurable outcomes are in place and agreed-upon recommendations are implemented.
Another bereaved daughter was in the legislature gallery yesterday afternoon, also asking for accountability from the health minister.
Mimi Raglan's mom -- Frances Raglan -- was mistreated at Riverview Health Centre and died after being discharged in October 2001.
'It's outrageous there has been no apology to us. My mother was clearly put on the wrong treatment plan,' said Raglan.
Health Minister Tim Sale acknowledged the error and apologized for the family's grief but wouldn't commit to remedial action. "
Wednesday, November 02, 2005
Relieving The Pressure
So much for health choice and more money is not the answer- it is broken lets fix it. Article from the Frontier centre make good sense QJ
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In September 1997, a new health clinic opened in Grafton, North Dakota. It offers highly technical services such as CT scans, magnetic resonance imaging, and ultrasounds.
Grafton, a sleepy farm town, population 5,000, has little need for the well-equipped clinic, called DMS Imaging. But the hamlet lies just 100 miles from the Manitoba border. Early last summer, the clinic's founders conducted market research in our province to gauge the demand for services. According to one of the principals, "We felt there was a need but we weren't really sure what to expect."
Since "non-urgent" waiting lists for such marvels in our country are long and arguably dangerous -- four to five months for a MRI, six months for a CT scan, and eight months to a year for an ultrasound -- it is no surprise that the clinic was constructed quickly. On some days its customers are all from Manitoba. These people know that early detection of cancerous tumours means a much higher survival rate. Their choice is bleak, to wait for a "free" service and take a huge risk, or to head for the border.
What would happen if the clinic were built closer to its target patients, i.e. right in Canada? Six eye clinics and the Pan Am Sports Medicine Centre in Winnipeg now offer service for fees. But such arrangements break the law, specifically the Canada Health Act. The federal government dings the province of Manitoba $49,000 a month in fines for allowing the infractions to continue, about $1.2 million over the last two years. The Grafton clinic would never be built in Canada because it contravenes a silly statute.
Half a million dollars a year in our province's healthcare budget therefore buys nothing except relief from bean counters in Ottawa. And that's the least of it. Thirty years of central planning in medicine has created enormous distortions in the allocation of resources.
If you live in Winnipeg and your kidneys have failed, you may find yourself in a taxi heading to Morden, where a dialysis machine is running six days a week. The ride costs $350 return, and each patient has to make the trip three times a week. But Manitoba Health picks up the tab, because it falls within the complex and arcane list of rules devised by enforcers of the law.
If the Canada Health Act allowed citizens to choose and pay for homegrown alternatives, the construction of the Grafton clinic, the purchase of its equipment, and the tax revenues generated from its income would have stayed here. At no cost to the public purse.
Think of the system as an enormous pressure cooker. We've set up an unsustainable combination in our officious healthcare kitchen - zero prices, which encourage unlimited demand, and constant centralization in decision-making, which means response to the demand is further and further removed from the public need. The Grafton clinic creates the tiny vent at the top, which prevents the whole stew from blowing up.
We created this pressure cooker out of good intentions because we wanted equity in our healthcare system. We wanted nobody to be denied medical service because they lacked the means to pay for it. But a sour dose of unintended consequences has been the outcome. Now everybody waits for service, and only those with healthy bank balances get quick access. Those who can afford to travel and pay the fees to foreign clinics.
It's a public policy disaster that makes last year's flood of the century look cheap in comparison. It will never work.
We all lose because Canada's recipe for healthcare was long on good intentions but ultimately impractical. It's time to add a few more ingredients.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In September 1997, a new health clinic opened in Grafton, North Dakota. It offers highly technical services such as CT scans, magnetic resonance imaging, and ultrasounds.
Grafton, a sleepy farm town, population 5,000, has little need for the well-equipped clinic, called DMS Imaging. But the hamlet lies just 100 miles from the Manitoba border. Early last summer, the clinic's founders conducted market research in our province to gauge the demand for services. According to one of the principals, "We felt there was a need but we weren't really sure what to expect."
Since "non-urgent" waiting lists for such marvels in our country are long and arguably dangerous -- four to five months for a MRI, six months for a CT scan, and eight months to a year for an ultrasound -- it is no surprise that the clinic was constructed quickly. On some days its customers are all from Manitoba. These people know that early detection of cancerous tumours means a much higher survival rate. Their choice is bleak, to wait for a "free" service and take a huge risk, or to head for the border.
What would happen if the clinic were built closer to its target patients, i.e. right in Canada? Six eye clinics and the Pan Am Sports Medicine Centre in Winnipeg now offer service for fees. But such arrangements break the law, specifically the Canada Health Act. The federal government dings the province of Manitoba $49,000 a month in fines for allowing the infractions to continue, about $1.2 million over the last two years. The Grafton clinic would never be built in Canada because it contravenes a silly statute.
Half a million dollars a year in our province's healthcare budget therefore buys nothing except relief from bean counters in Ottawa. And that's the least of it. Thirty years of central planning in medicine has created enormous distortions in the allocation of resources.
If you live in Winnipeg and your kidneys have failed, you may find yourself in a taxi heading to Morden, where a dialysis machine is running six days a week. The ride costs $350 return, and each patient has to make the trip three times a week. But Manitoba Health picks up the tab, because it falls within the complex and arcane list of rules devised by enforcers of the law.
If the Canada Health Act allowed citizens to choose and pay for homegrown alternatives, the construction of the Grafton clinic, the purchase of its equipment, and the tax revenues generated from its income would have stayed here. At no cost to the public purse.
Think of the system as an enormous pressure cooker. We've set up an unsustainable combination in our officious healthcare kitchen - zero prices, which encourage unlimited demand, and constant centralization in decision-making, which means response to the demand is further and further removed from the public need. The Grafton clinic creates the tiny vent at the top, which prevents the whole stew from blowing up.
We created this pressure cooker out of good intentions because we wanted equity in our healthcare system. We wanted nobody to be denied medical service because they lacked the means to pay for it. But a sour dose of unintended consequences has been the outcome. Now everybody waits for service, and only those with healthy bank balances get quick access. Those who can afford to travel and pay the fees to foreign clinics.
It's a public policy disaster that makes last year's flood of the century look cheap in comparison. It will never work.
We all lose because Canada's recipe for healthcare was long on good intentions but ultimately impractical. It's time to add a few more ingredients.
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