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Doctor’s health care solutions won’t work

Maple Ridge resident Mike Sands responds to a column by Dr. Marco Terwiel

Editor, The News:

Re: Paying for long-term health care gain (Health Care, Feb. 3).

Dr. Marco Terwiel has some interesting remedies for our health care system.

One, reduce wait lists by creating a two-tier system.

If anyone wants to help relieve the wait lists for surgeries, they can go to the U.S. for their kneecap special. That way they get to the front of the line and at the same time reduce our waits.

Until then, Dr. Terwiel, it’s who needs the surgery most, not, who has the most money goes to the front of the line.

Two, reduce administration.

We shouldn’t just pick on the administrators. I’ve worked on wards that I considered overstaffed, but everyone in our society seems to be able to justify their job and you can’t expect a worker to raise their hand and say, ‘I don’t think I’m needed here.’

Three, reduce pharmaceutical costs.

Sounds good, but not such an easy thing to do. With all the pharmaceutical lobbyists dumping millions of donations into the Canadian political machine and all the freebies doctors get from these companies, change from the Canadian establishment is far off.

Four, provide disincentives for those burdening our health care system.

The government is already doing this as we are taxed to death.

What else can the government do short of stepping on our right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Five, add user fees.

Unfortunately, it won’t work. It will eliminate the poor people from going to the hospital for potentially life-threatening illnesses, but others, including well-to-do hypochondriacs will not mind paying a nominal fee.

Mike Sands, RN

Maple Ridge