To the editor:
Last week’s letter from Rick Turner of the BC Health Council was interesting, but misses one important point.
Why are sick people paying for health services they can get for free through Medicare? There must be a difference; otherwise, people would just use the Medicare system.
Anyone who has been on a wait list for health services in British Columbia will know why. The wait time for necessary operations is too long, so people who can afford it are going to the clinics and paying rather than waiting months for the same services.
If Mr. Turner wants sick people to stop using private clinics, he should look at faster delivery of health services in B.C. Legislating against pay-for-services clinics is treating a symptom of a greater problem, not addressing the cause of the problem itself.
Ron Kelly
100 Mile House
