This letter is a response to Frank Helmut Pfrang of Penticton, in regards to not being treated at the Penticton Regional Hospital following a car accident.
I would have to agree that there is something wrong with our health care system when there is this type of negligence.
The answers to your concerns are: Yes, it has come to a point where we have to self diagnose ourselves and request the tests we require. I do not believe the hospital has become so backlogged that there is not enough time or room for patients. These are not problems that just seniors have with the health care system; everyone is receiving substandard care.
I blame the falling apart of health care on two things. The first is entitlement. Not all, but many employees feel they are over-worked, under-paid and that they should be able to do the least amount of work for the most money they can get. A lack of accountability and management has allowed employees to get away with this.
Second, not ordering tests is to save money. Some doctors have been known to tell patients that tests were ordered, when in fact they were not.
The direction of our health care is pushing us towards privatization. If you want the required tests, then you will have to pay for them yourself at a private clinic.
Canadians are not known for standing up to the decision makers in order to create necessary change. How many people actually send in a complaint form to the College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia when doctors do not do their jobs?
If we as citizens do not take a stand, let our values be known to governing bodies, and then demand that our needs be met, health care, among other important services, will continue to suffer.
It is not that the government does not have the money for these services; it is just a matter of priorities, and apparently the care of Canadians is unimportant.
Robert Kennedy
Penticton
