Roland Francis wrote: > It's not anymore about what you or I feel the Canadian medical professional > should earn. That ship sailed when the government realized that there's > little money in the kitty.
On the contrary, I feel that I have to tell the Govt what services I require and where they need to stop wasting money. I am a frequent user of the health services offered in Ontario. Every time I go to the emergency section, it seems the professionals there are more and more harried. The cost of a mistake by overworked staff in a hospital can cause a patient to lose his/her life. My second need from the taxes I pay, is a good education system. This is what the people in Montreal are protesting about. My third need is for an economy that creates good jobs. The least thing I am worried about is my property. I do not need the Govt to keep on spending more of my tax dollars on protecting my property when I have more value for my health and education. Canada wastes billions, yes with a B, of dollars on second-hand submarines that do not work and on jet fighters that have not yet been built and that we do not need. I need a govt that cuts 'defense spending' and concentrates on improving the living standards of its residents instead. > The best that can happen for them is that future increases will not be as > generous as in the past. The worst, that current levels will be slashed. > Your theory about doctors fleeing to other jurisdictions is untrue. In the > past several years those who have determined that money is their prime > consideration have already left Canada. The ones remaining have decided for > themselves that their practice or research or quality of family life or > whatever, is best served by remaining in Canada. In fact it is known that > many who left have since returned. A few years ago, a Canadian nurse earning US$50,000 working in Florida was actually earning CAD$80,000 because of the exchange rate. The US currency has been debauched since and exchange rates are now at par. This is one of the main reasons why Canadian medical professionals have returned from the US. > You don't have to worry about doctors' second incomes coming from > pharmaceutical and drug companies. If you have been in the financial sector > in Canada long enough, you would have seen how the Ontario Securities > Commission banned mutual fund companies from plying financial professionals > with all sorts of 'incentives' and payments. There is no reason to see why > the CMA under regulatory pressure can't do the same for physicians. I believe you are comparing oranges to bananas. The state sponsored medical industry is to ensure that guaranteed and stable medical services are available for all residents. This is why medical staff should be adequately paid. The financial industry on the other hand, is for risk taking. Risk takers are rewarded or left to die. When the financial service people ply the govt or politicians with incentives and payments, you usually wind up with the situation of the good ol' USSR or the current USA where a company can be deemed 'to big to fail.' The failed management is then kept in place and given a licence to continue wasting resources. > The bottom line Mervyn is that the Government cannot let us walk away from a > heart bypass costing $150,000 or cancer surgery costing even more with zero > dollars from our pockets. Unless they start making sensible cuts to the > system that will still allow us to enjoy that medical freedom. I beg to differ with you on this one. A sound health system, one that also conducts annual examinations, can detect and offer preventive services for a fraction of the cost of treating a person in the advanced stages of any disease. For those who are unaware, Toronto banned smoking in pubs a few years ago. Three years later, hospitalizations for heart conditions in Toronto fell by 39 per cent and for respiratory conditions by 32 per cent. The number of heart attacks also declined 17 per cent. This is just one example of how one can reduce medical costs without the need for more contributions from the healthy. Also keep in mind that there are Canadian residents who have been faithfully paying into the health system for the last forty years. It would be against all norms to cut medical services to them just at the time when they begin to need it Lastly, I have no problems paying a few more dollars in taxes so that my fellow residents can get the same medical, educational and job creation services I expect. The good folks in Montreal pay the highest tax rates in Canada and are now protesting that the govt is not providing them the services they want. If the current (socialist) govt there cannot understand where the people want there taxes spent, that govt is a failure and ought to fall. 02Mervyn
