Dear Editor,
Re: “Doctor crisis closes clinic,” News, April 12.
Reading of losing another place of medical care here in Richmond is indeed worrisome.
I am sure some of the reason for this has to do with the paper mill. Young doctors don’t want to be tied to, or have the expense of paper files, so they won’t put themselves in that position.
I think you will see a replacement clinic open not too long after this one closes, thus a fresh start on electronic files, and no expensive conversion to digital.
That being said, I am, in fact, wanting to present my personal gripes about the overall system.
First, without a doubt, we must get rid of the Liberal government in this province. They are supposed to be looking after our medical and hospital health needs. Along with their task of looking after education and transportation, their job is very defined.
They like to get involved in things our provincial government has no say in, or spend billions of dollars on bridges, inventing ways for good friends with their Public-Private Partnership agreements to profit incredibly. For example, we were told it would be 2013 before we could have three-car trains on the Canada Line. Due to the PPP agreement, nothing has changed, even though ridership is well past best projections.
Schools! Teachers had to go to court to get our government to spend our money for what is needed for our children and to live up to agreements signed.
Now, full circle — health care. I have been waiting 17 months for a hip replacement. My ability to walk, work, play, or socialize has disappeared. I would love to sleep more than two hours, or watch a movie without yelping in pain from adjusting my posture slightly. What happens when you walk in a manner that accommodates a problem like that? You need the other hip replaced and probably the knee. What a ridiculous amount of wasted money and time wasted.
I blame our provincial Liberals first and foremost. They of the years of broken promise. But what about our surgeons?
They “tsk tsk” the provincial process, but the only solution they offer is privatization, which translates into dollars.
Dear surgeon, when is the last time you stood up in public and said in a loud voice “my patient comes first”? Administer care to the best of your ability, to do no harm and so on. When is the last time you or your office reached out to a patient to see how they were doing, reassess their needs, do your best to be your best?
I came in as a young 64-year-old man, now I am an old, 68-year-old.
We are the ones that formulate change with our singular vote, Each and every member of the Liberal majority has been complicit by either qualification or silence on what has been criminal too many times in the past.
So, they should all be fired.
Jim Crighton
Richmond
