EDITORIAL: In health care, cash has not been the solution
There are two tales on KTW's website detailing shortcomings in the health-care system.
In this day and age, it might be appropriate to re-define health-care news as that concerning stories when the system is running smoothly.
One story details a website campaign created by ER doctors from across B.C. The website features videos of doctors talking about their latest shift — one dominated by hours-long waits by patients.
The website also has some patient stories and some suggestions as to how the provincial government can take steps to improve the system.
Whether more money is the answer is debatable; long ER waits have been a fact of life in B.C. since the 1990s and untold amounts of money seems to have failed to fix the problem.
But, perhaps the website will result in somebody coming forward with some innovative ideas.
Another story updates the status of Dr. Christopher Sladden, the Kamloops dermatologist who left town last year because he said it did not make business sense to continue to practise in Kamloops, based on the fee schedule in B.C.
While saying his situation is not about the money, Sladden did note he made more money during 20 weeks’ work in Newfoundland than he did in two years in Kamloops.
How much is enough?
For a dermatologist in Kamloops compared to Newfoundland? For emergency rooms in Kamloops, Cranbrook and Surrey?
Is there enough?
Will there ever be enough?
Billions have been poured into health care across Canada, with provincial budgets devoting more to that sector each year.
And, yet, we continue to wait in ER rooms from coast to coast to coast — and doctors continue to move east and west to get paid what they believe they deserve.
There is an election on May 14.
What better time to offer up new ideas on a topic that will only continue to spur complaints?
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