Last week I got into a brief Twitter exchange with Dr. Raj Sherman over the allegations of unnamed “high level” MLA’s cue jumping. I was likely a little hard on him calling for a stop to the theatrics without proof, mind you Raj’s response that it was the government’s CEO that was creating all the controversy not him and that was a little disingenuous as well.
In terms of the Stephen Duckett allegations I guess we will see where the cookie crumbles, he doesn’t exude credibility as far as I am concerned. The problems with our health care system are deep, and if there is cue jumping it is just a symptom that things need a major overhaul.
I am waiting for someone to make a stand and take this on head first. Now that we have a federal Conservative majority it is time for the provinces to try and reform the current way they provide service.
Now we all know cue jumping happens every day; it may be upsetting but it is a reality.
Let’s be honest if you have a family member or close friend in health difficulties you will do almost anything to get them in to see a doctor or specialist. This is an emotional response no matter who is involved. It doesn’t matter if you are wealthy or poor, the only difference is that if you have the wherewithal, you will go to the U.S. and cue jump anyway. It is strange to me no one ever talks about this part of the medical system, we do it and we actually get compensated for it to some extent, but it never gets into the discussion. My problem with it is I don’t understand why we don’t start our own private clinics and import physicians into work them rather than sending everyone down south, or to Quebec, or B.C.
Of course I can already hear the cries of the “Friends of Medicare” and the other lefties, and their narrow approach to the system. It’s like the kid in college saying mom send money I am broke, there will never be an end to the amount of money we can throw at a public system.
You better believe we will be doing a major overhaul on things as the cost escalation year to year is already unsustainable. The question goes back to who has the intestinal fortitude to lead the charge? I thought Ralph Klein was on to something with his Third Way proposal a few years back. Look, we have to look into some real reform here, and I am not talking pie in the sky European hybrid models some political parties have bandied about either.
I guess I am looking for an Albertan Way, a Canadian Way that will reform a model almost 50 years old. I mean surely there will be someone in the current PC leadership race to step up and take this on. With a change in leadership hopefully we will see a new direction in a broad range of policies.
When we look at bringing more privately delivered health care we have to consider what a physician once told me. He said essentially he would work in both systems, and he had the time to do so. With a change in a 50-year-old mentality that seems to have captivated a generation we have to lead the world again as we once did. It is no mistake that Canada sits atop the G-8 in many categories, but the health care model we share with Cuba is not one of the things we excel at. I prefer to grow the pie rather than change the recipe, I can tell you from experience that is going to work.
