Finally Add Privatization To Go Along Side Of Public Health Care

The other day, a client of one of my Caregivers had to go to the Hospital. She had to use EMS since she is confined to a wheelchair. She went to Emergency where she then had to wait NINE hours to finally get a bed. Then, she had to wait again 'til mid - morning to see her Doctor. Oh yeah, she was sent to Foothills Hospital because there was no room at Rockyview Hospital. She lives in the deep S.W., Foothills is in the far N.W. which, if you know Calgary, these two points are very far from each other.

The case I'm making here is the fact that our Health system needs a Privatization component to ENHANCE Health delivery to it's customers - US! Right now, Alberta Health Care does NOT operate this way. A lot of patients have a very difficult and a VERY uncomfortable experience dealing with Health Care. Even getting a Prescription is ANOTHER painful exercise to go through. For example: you need to book a Doctor's appointment first, then go there in order to get a prescription. Then, take it to the Pharmacist. This is very time consuming, especially if you need a prescription right away. The way Health Care is at present, it is not set up to practise proper customer service. In H.C. there are many, many, very good, and well meaning (some not) H.Care providers. These people work within H.C. surrounded by narrow perameters that actually prevent proper customer service to it's many customers - US! Privatization respects, and provides REAL C.S. to it's clients with speedy results for the customer, instead of lip service given by Provincial Governments to the populace. Friends of Medicare, big Public Sector Unions (PSAC), leftist political parties (NDP, Lyb's, Green Party) and many other's that have like-minded views support the stas quo. This view(s) does not understand, nor doesn't even WANT to understand Free Enterprise. That would include Personal INITIATIVE, or that this would cause COMPETITION between various companies and as a result, EFFICIENCY, thereby LOWERING the cost of services and equipment.

All Governments are guilty of throwing money (our tax dollars) at it. H.C. is about 50% of the Prov. Budget. That is crazy! We cannot continue with this pattern. Something has to give. All we get are platitudes by Govt's as to how they will improve H.C. but, all they do is set up more committees to talk about this or that while time marches on and NOTHING really gets done, except MORE of OUR money is thrown at it to appease the Left, and give a FALSE sense of security to those who CHOOSE NOT to be realistic in a world of economic uncertainty.

Private and Public Health Care CAN work together. Choice is best. The beneficiary is the taxpayer.