I find it alarming that our country, Canada, and its provinces cannot get past the idea that more money in provincial health-care coffers will “make it all better.”
I have not heard — and am probably not likely to hear — a discussion about how to improve the bottom line without wasting more tax dollars.
There are new technologies to minimize maintenance and sterilization costs. There are mechanisms used in other countries that work well and have been proven to reduce the overall costs of our health- care system.
Why are we spending more money on medical equipment, drugs and medicine facilities than 80 per cent of other developed countries and yet we still have such a waiting line-up?
Why have we not seen the creation of a national purchasing agency for all the provinces to reduce individual costs.
Wal-Mart can sell cheaper because they buy larger case lots. Why is the federal government not doing this already and why are the provinces not demanding it today?
Government agencies have — and continue to attempt to — increase their yearly budget to gain more power. God forbid a system that would actually decrease their annual budget.
We as a country have to start thinking smart and looking around the world, at minimum expense, and use the tools that are already used and tested to be sound.
If we fail as a society to call on our reporters for answers of substance and national importance from all our elected officials, we will surely sink into the mire until we arrive at the bottom of the heap and wonder how we got there.
We have too many talking heads that simply wiggle in response to serious issues and do nothing.
Look to the south of Canada and you see the result of such arrogance and ignorance.
Robert TritschlerParksville
