The Road Less Travelled

My reply

Dear Mr. Harper,

It has come to my attention that your party is advocating for privately owned health services in our country. Perhaps you see some greater value in implementing such a health care system, but I believe you are ultimately blinding yourself and your party from reality once again. I am more than happy to resituate you in the realm that most Canadians live in.

Although I am sure that your cheque book easily accommodates a few trips to the doctors for minor aches and pains, this is not the reality for all Canadians. Now, imagine if you will, that your life was very different from the one you have. Perhaps you are a mother with 5 small children, and you have to work 2 or 3 jobs just to put enough food on the table to feed your children, never mind you. Children, by nature, are sick often, and the stress of a mother caring for these children will undoubtedly result in signs and symptoms of burnout. So, Mr. Harper… what do you do for people like that? Are you going to personally go to their house and write them a cheque for food and for health care, or are they left to fend for themselves once again. Now let’s imagine another realistic scenario, say you are a young man or woman who has just been diagnosed with HIV, and the doctor suggests several different anti-retroviral medication cocktails for you to take, which will ultimately increase you chances of survival and improve your quality of life for the next 15-20 years. Now, the problem is that one of the medications that you have to take 3x/day costs about $50 per pill. That’s $150/day, $1050/week, and $54,600 per year. Most people, believe it or not, do not even make $40 000/year. So, how do you propose we deal with such situations?!

Perhaps you need to reconsider your strategies. By denying health care to the people who can’t afford it, you are creating bigger problems than you might be able to imagine. It is tremendously unfair for you to decide that it is fine and well to deny people health care services, but you’re not the nurse or the doctor who has to turn people (who are seriously ill) away because of lack of cash. It’s a well-known fact that those with low-socioeconomic statuses have poor health, so your plan will only allow the wealthier to be healthier, and the poor to become more ill and more disadvantaged.

I strongly advise you to seek the advice of front-line health care staff from across the country (not the administrators who have no front-line experience), and the people of this country (regardless of their socioeconomic status, gender, culture, etc). Perhaps you would see life and health care a little differently in the eyes of Canadians.

Thank you,

Shannon Quinn, RN

posted by Shann @ 7:10 PM