Health Care Ain't Panty Hose...One Size Does NOT Fit All

Monday, June 06, 2005 04:10 AM

Northern Medical Society Executive Director, Dr. Bert Kelly says health issues in the 250 cannot be viewed through a 604 lens

The Executive Director of the Northern Medical Society, Dr. Bert Kelly, says applying a 604 mentality to a 250 problem was the root cause in why a cancer clinic for this region has been turned down.

Kelly made the comment after learning of a letter received by a local resident from Premier Gordon Campbell. In the letter, Campbell suggests the Northern Health Authority is responsible for the development of such a facility. Kelly says we have to get rid of that "one-size fits all" thinking in B.C. and government has to begin to recognize the upper two thirds of this province.

Dr. Kelly says the provincial government has been looking at the 250 through 604 lenses and that simply must come to an end. In the lower mainland, he adds, there is a cancer clinic located in Victoria, twenty minutes away in Vancouver, twenty minutes away in Surrey and yet another twenty minutes away in Abbotsford. In this region, the distance to a cancer clinic can be (in many cases) measured in days for those trying to reach the nearest facility.

Dr. Kelly points out, the Premier has been suggesting the North is about to burst wide open, with container ports, oil and gas exploration and other major forestry development, yet we do not have any facilities to look after that expected population, who by the way, will not come unless good health care is available.

It is time, says Kelly, for the Provincial Government to put its money where its mouth is. "If we had conducted a plebiscite into the issue of whether the people wanted a sports center, a twinned bridge or a cancer clinic, the cancer clinic would have won hands down." says the Northern Medical Society's Executive Director.

UNBC has been given a grant to do a study into the possibility of establishing a cancer clinic in Prince George.
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Posted on Monday, June 06, 2005 04:10 AM in News by Elaine Macdonald

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Comments

Posted by: shawnpetriw on June 6 2005 7:31 AM

The notion that it's time for the government to put its money where its mouth is doesn't cut it.

What the heatlh care system needs is not more money, but a new way of doing things.

Every government in Canada throws more money at the problem, like using a sieve to bail water on a sinking boat.

At some point our governments have to realize throwing money at the problem doesn't work—a new system is needed.

We need to break the union that is the Canadian Medical Association, with their emphasis on treating disease, and bring in more nurse practitioners and other health professionals with a focus on prevention and lower-cost treatments.

We also need to get more money, and better ways of doing things, from private investment. We need to stop the fear-mongering of "privitization" and realize how large a role private, for-prifit business plays in the health care system now, from construction to manufacturing beds, to medical equipment to drugs. We need to understand that the whole thing is a huge for-profit enterprise, get over our privitization fears, and get working on ways to get the best value for our dollar. We also need a market system that rewards prevention, rather than treatment.

As much as I agree we need a cancer treament facility in our region, we need a focus on disease prevention, not disease treatment.

Shawn Petriw

Posted by: Opatcho on June 6 2005 10:16 AM

The great Canadian dream, "we can fix it but we don't know whats causing it". We have a strange practice in the way our medical care works. If I were to go into business it would be up to me to provide all the equipment that is needed for my vocation what ever it may be. Yet we have Doctors that practice medicine and we have to provide them with all the equipment that they need in their vocation.
When you check the Blue Book that MSP publishes every year on the amount our Doctors bill MSP one would wonder what they do with all their money. There are some Doctors that bill the plan for almost one million annually. And then there are the drug companies that also reap about a n equal amount from the health care budget as our Doctors.
The worst offenders that waist our tax dollars are the administration of our health districts.
The notion that there is an endless amount of tax dollars available has to change. Unitll that happens we will always be in a bog as to how to fix it.

Posted by: Chadermando on June 6 2005 3:30 PM

I support a cancer clinic in the North as a return on our investment in tax dollars to the South.

It makes good business sense.

A person that got lung cancer from working in polluted environments before we knew about the hazzards would not take comfort in the prevention arguement today.

In addition I take offense to the arguement that the health care system is a money pot for the greedy. Especially the referrence to the construction end of things. When PGRH recently expanded it was non-union labour that built that hospital under the NDP and that non-union labour was paid only 60% of the union labour rate. You can take that to the bank.

Posted by: Jake on June 6 2005 7:05 PM

I don’t know where Opatch gets his/her information from to arrive at the assumption that practicing doctor’s don’t pay for their own office equipment. I have yet to see one doctor, dentist, ophthalmologist, or any other specialty that has equipment supplied by taxpayer funding. As far as billing numbers it must be remembered that Blue Book figures are the amounts billed to MSP. Out of that money the costs of his/her staff, equipment, rent, and high insurance premiums must be paid. If my research has any value, I found that most doctors’ offices have an overhead ranges from 40% - 50%. Most of the medical equipment is extremely expensive. It’s not like going to Home Depot to purchase it! In addition, you must also consider the number of hours that some doctors put in. I know that 60 to 80 hours a week is not uncommon. If I worked that many hours I would at least expect a decent salary! You will find, however, that new doctors wish to limit their hours to a regular working week. This is the new age of doctors that our society has created.
The only place taxpayers funding helps to purchase equipment in the medical field would be for research, hospital, clinics, and perhaps in a few rural instances where it is there for patient convenience.
But one thing you got correct. Administration positions are lucrative careers in our medical system. That’s why there are more administrative positions than nurses.

Posted by: spanky on June 6 2005 8:04 PM

IMO, Gordy will not and probably does not want to build a cancer clinic here. We are the people that he pieced off before the election with a sports complex promise( a well overdue project by the way) and some pipe dream highway construction. However I am dissapointed in Mr. Petrews contributions on the subject. Prevent Cancer? How do we immediately become able t o prevent it? Should we let all those with cancer die to save some money? I don't know where you are going with that great idea?

Posted by: Opatcho on June 7 2005 9:50 AM

Well Jake who will pay for the cancer clinic that we are presently talking about. Who pays for cat Scans, MRI and there are Doctors talking about robot equipment for surgery and the list goes on and on. I was not talking about the equipment in their offices.
I get most of my information from the National Health Index and MSP available on the internet.
And as for Doctors working 60 and 80 hour per week and their overhead is srictly hear say. If they are its about choices. If you can't stand the heat get out of the kitchen.
As for prevention we have a long ways to go and we need to get there. WE all know about the risks involved with smoking and cancer to mention just one habit of the poor life styles that we live.

Posted by: Jake on June 8 2005 6:44 PM

Opatcho…….it appears that you may disagree about the hours of work some specialists put in and the overhead for their offices. Me dear friend it is not hearsay. For me it is a very real fact.

You say if I can’t take the heat get out of the kitchen. I can take the heat. However, can you or your partner (if you have one), cure yourself should you need the services of one of these doctors should they decide that they don’t wish to put in anymore hours for that particular time? My experience has shown that some patients actually die for lack of medical attention!

For the good of the general public it is necessary for federal and provincial dollars to fund clinics and equipment. Would you perhaps like the America system where you pay $1,000 for your MRI? Brain tumors are not found by looking in one’s ear. You actually have to do a scan! Get informed in real life facts.

Posted by: Opatcho on June 9 2005 10:36 AM

So Jake you think I'm not informed. You are giving me the same old same old that the BCMA has given us for years. The information I have is in black and white.
I am fortunate that I have enjoyed reasonable good health all my life but not so for the partner I have.
And by the way if the doctors overhead is high its not from the cost of the equipment in their office is the cost of malpractice insurance.
Have a nice day.