BCers Don't Need no Surgery,
We Fine!

Searching for signs of Intellegence
IN ALL THE WRONG PLACES


It really is almost impossible to keep up with the complete bullshit that comes from the mouths of Herr Gordon Campbell and his inner circle of Jerks. Of course a simultaneous mass attack on everything is a strategy they use to their advantage on a regular basis. Even the part of the populace that hasn't succumbed to a Canned Waste/Glow Ball TeeVee stupor, can hardly swivel their necks fast enough to keep abreast of the ongoing theft of BC and mind-boggling breachs of the public trust.

Just in recent days they've announced more new policies than I can even list from the merely irritating, to the costly (charging me higher rates, for often reduced services), to the outright stunning. In the stunning category, the BC liaRs have announced that they intend to REWRITE the century old Water Act, and that can't be good for water users in BC, though it could be a windfall for the two hundred folks who actually go watch the Phoenix Coyotes home games in person. Gordo has appointed a new "Green Energy Czar" to co-ordinate the pillaging of the rivers and robbery of native bands. In league with his (wink, wink - they are supposed to be opposing parties remember) buddy St. Stephen, the drive is on to reduce the already inadequate environmental review proces for energy projects if it can be said, no matter how inaccurately that they are GREEN. Of course with that pesky review out of the way, how would anyboy know if a project is green - apparently all Gordo or Stevie has to do is tell us that it is - kinda like how Dickhead Cheney and his sock puppet Dub could decide who is a Terra-Guy, eligible for torture.

Perhaps the most stunning for its complete lack of even a pretense of logic is Kevin Falcon's campaign to turn British Columbia into a destination resort for medical tourists. According to the Vancouver Stun, interestingly (or revealingly) this article was in the Travel section, perhaps this gov's bud's at CanWest are past the policy questions and trying to attract business ALREADY).

Health Services Minister Kevin Falcon is looking at ways to woo out-of-province patients looking for surgeries or other procedures into B.C. hospitals so he can charge a premium and generate more revenue for the system.

"Why can't British Columbia be the Mayo Clinic of the North?" Falcon asked Tuesday.

Well first off, Kev, you might have to have discussions with the REAL Mayo Clinic, which is itself fairly far north, about USING THEIR BRAND. Do you intend to purchase a franchise, or just outsource the whole enchilada?

"We know that every year several hundred thousand Americans travel outside of America and spend billions of dollars on their health care," he added, saying under the plan B.C. would charge a premium for the procedures.

The rich ones go where ever the treatment options are best, no matter the cost. Most Americans go to where health care that they can afford is ACTUALLY ACCESSIBLE and so cheap and in a location, for example Thailand, where they can even afford to take some beach time during recovery. They aren't likely to come to a place that has not only the same climate, but the same costs - or more (remember you are gonna charge these folks a PREMIUM). Other than high end "medical tourism" ala Mayo Clinic (Danny Williams style) most medical tourism destinations are countries where the surgeons and nurses are paid FAR LESS than anywhere in North America, other than Mexico, which surprisingly does benefit from Medical Tourism and Dental Tourism.

"Why can't we take the best surgeons that we have -- and they are some of the best in the world -- some of the best facilities we've got, and see whether there's a possibility we can generate revenues for the benefit of British Columbians?"

That would be just fine, Birdbrain, once British Columbians have been "benefitted" by having THEIR OWN HEALTH NEEDS ATTEMDED TO!

I heard Kev on the radio the other day promoting this insanity and he kept repeating that we could provide this service because patients in BC were doing so well, that outcomes, waiting times and all other indicators were the best in Canada. Well Kev, I live in the sticks and don't get out much, but just the people I run into and interact with, include enough folks waiting for a new hip, knee replacement, diagnostic procedures, basically anything other than blood and gore emergencies - have already put in and look forward to waiting times that added together might get into three figures.

I might mention to that the people I see in their second or third year of waiting for anything they aren't guaranteed to die from next week, are served by the Kootenay Region of the Inferior Health Authority. This is the same health management district that plans to cut the operating capacity at Kootenay Boundary Regioal by 25% and lay-off nurses, recruited from out of province recently and cut back on surgeons operating time. We NEED this cuts because according to Kevin, and his mouthpiece with the IHA in Warfield, OUR WAITING TIMES ARE TOO SHORT when compared to the provincial average (in ONE CHERRYPICKED category). How many years are enough - to wait for a new hip, shoulder or knee?

While he claims that waiting lines in other provinces would provide BC facilities with all the business we could handle (While BCers wait?). He would....

.....not go into detail on exactly how much more he thinks B.C. can charge such patients, and a ministry official said no official policy has been determined on the issue.

Well this might answer your question Birdbrain:

Documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act show the idea for B.C. to sell surgeries to Saskatchewan began during a discussion between Premier Gordon Campbell and Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall. The negotiations ultimately failed, with Saskatchewan balking at the idea of having to pay a premium for procedures here.

This is nothing more than part of the ongoing attempt to undermine our public health system and pave the way for Private Medicine, the system that works so well down in the USA (as long as you are either rich or healthy). A provincial health system willing to pay MORE for the same service (which would require a provincial government that cared about its citizens for starters) is no different than a well heeled individual cutting to the front of the line - American style. That unused capacity Kevin Falcon refers to are operating rooms and entire wards (and entire hospitals) closed permanently or or part-time do to lack of funding for staff. Unless the doctors succeed in paying their own O.R. nurses in Trail at Kootenay Regional Hospital, the Falcon will have gained yet more "un-utilized" capacity to sell to whomever the perhaps imaginary out of province customers. Even if this absurd experiment doesn't prove profitable, it will still contribute to the increasing level of disatisfaction with the health care system as it is and make the agenda of this government and its ally, Dr. Brian Day, more palatable.

Only somewhere down Alice's rabbit hole is a universe where allowing medical tourists with fat wallets cut in line shorten waiting times for access to the same amount of resources.

Meanwhile - Surgeons Discover Something.



Items removed (immediately above) during procedure pictured at top of post will be forwarded to the Real Mayo Clinic. Preliminary examination would suggest a dead bird and an unused "green power" turbine/device. Some are convinced that the fact that the bird has died may help explain some previously inexplicable brain farts from the Minister of Various Important Stuff!