There is certainly something to be said for individual responsibility, privatized healthcare, and libertarianism. But alas, we can't have it all. If we want a socialized healthcare system, then we must assume the health risks of all. If not, then there is always private health care in which each citizen takes their own risks.
Jordan I do think that the COVID waves have exposed some very serious problems with AHS and their approach to management of health care in the province. I do know that infection control has taken over influencing a huge portion of hopsital operations. Almost to the point that people inside the organization no longer question their directives. Is it this group that shut down access to treatment, testing and minor surgeries during the various waves? Some group is making decisions that is adversly affecting numerous people that do not have COVID. A number of people I do know have had delays to cancer treatment, hip replacements, knee surgeries or testing to determine the source of pain / illness. This is a serious wrong.
Why is it that some of these tests can be carried out in private facilities, while the public ones are shut down? Why is it that we are now 2 years into this and AHS is still running the same way for isolation of facilities? I asked a nurse I know that manages in an ICU area what changes have been made from the first wave to what we are experiencing now -- her response -- "nothing - we are still working the same ". Suggestions on access changes have not been adopted.
I really think it is time to go beyond the only system needs to be public and move to a blended system. I injured a shoulder during the Christmas break (torn tendons). My Doctor told me it would be 1 year for seeing an ortho specialist and then another 2 to 3 years for surgery due to the backlog created by COVID. I checked around and can arrange for private surgery in a private clinic in another province or in the states in a matter of months. Why can we not have this openly in Canada (Quebec already has)? Why is the default on this discussion either or --- not --- we can have both. Why do we not compare to Europe -- is it because our oerformance stats - patient care / dollar investiment (particularly on the administration side) are so bad that government does not want the citizens to be aware. Why do we create this one size fits all hopsitals when many of the treatments could be carried out in smaller speciality clinics.
Something has to change because throwing more money at a bad system will give the same bad results as we have seen. The discussion needs to include some of the really bad union agreements as in some regions these are directly impacting staffing and deployment of resources.
