Sincerely, Honourable Chris d’Entremont
Minister of Health
Democracies are governments where the people as a whole - hold
political power. It may be exercised by them (direct
democracy), or through representatives chosen by them (representative democracy).
According
to the above definition of a democratic government the purpose of elected represenatives
are there to act on the behalf of the voters (people) chosen by them. The majority of people throughout this province and
across Canada is in favor of a not-for-profit public health care system envisioned by
Tommy Douglas, Canada’s greatest Canadian. People
of Canada have been paying taxes for health care for over forty years, the best in the
world and envied by many countries. However,
our governments have been slowly cutting back funding for health over the years to the
point where we are in a crisis to try to improve health care delivery. The simple solution to all of this is to restore
public funding rather than let the likes of greedy, for profit businesses who will hold
people hostage for their financial gain. A
case where the rich will get richer, while the poor will get poorer.
Forget
about this white paper, another expensive study. Do
the will of the people who elected you and restore funding to the wonderful health care
system we have created in Canada instead of acting like a business CEO where the bottom
line is about the dollar. You can waste
millions of dollars trying to dupe people into believing the Commonwealth Games will be
profitable but will not restore five cents to health care. What a tradgedy.
During
the past year I have been requesting funding for the Transitional Care Unit in the VGH, so
far this has been denied. While researching for funds for the Transitional Care Unit I
have learned three million dollars was donated to the QEII Health Science Centre over the
last several years to expand the emergency Department. To date nothing has been done to
address this issue. I have been continuosly
told a financial study is being carried to address issues in the Centennial building in
the old VG site, without so much as a coat of paint applied to the Transitional Care Unit.
Some long-term care facilities are also in need of funding.
All I have received from this department is a form letter explaing how the
Department of Health is doing its best to deliver quality health care to this province and
to referr to the dapartment’s website to view the ten-year plan for long-term care. While there is a ten year plan for long-term care
in place nothing is being done to address the shortage of beds in this province. There is a promise for 150 new beds in the
Sackville area while a nursing home facility like Glades Lodge on Alton Dr., in Halifax is
deteriorating. If this facility were to close
because it was below standard there would be 125 beds lost with only a net gain of 25
beds. Since 1998 there are 80 fewer beds in
this province, so, in order to be ahead of any further loss of beds in seems to me we need
230 new beds at present along with refurbishing existing nursing facilities to prevent
further losses. This is not taking into
account the baby boomers who will add more stress to the situation in the very near
future. We cannot wait ten years. Wait times
for access to hospitals for acute care will only grow longer unless these issues are
addressed.
Mr.
d’Entremont, stop thinking about the dollar and start think about the elderly who
must reside in run-down, long-term facilities and use the money donated to the hospital to
improve Emergency Services for acute care.
Sincerely,
Gary MacLeod