BC FORUM Members in Action!

June, 2009

New Health Minister contradicts legislation

In a letter written to the new Health Minister, Kevin Falcon, BC FORUM member Mildred Canessa noted recent comments quoted in the media find the Minister in "blatant contradiction of legislation provided under the rules of the Canada Health Act."

Canessa is a supporter of Canada's current health care system and believes it is sustainable, but only when governments and their associates practice due diligence and work together with all Canadians and societies to assess and strive to improve Canada's publicly funded Medicare system.

Canessa has not yet received a response.

June 27, 2009

The Honourable Kevin Falcon
Minister of Health
Province of British Columbia
Victoria, BC

Minister:

I am shocked and concerned that as the newly elected Provincial Minister of Health you have been quoted in the media as saying you do not have a problem with a person paying the higher fees charged by private clinics, as long as that person has the money to pay for the specialized treatment.

As Minister of Health you must surely be aware that this is a blatant contradiction of legislation provided under the rules of the Canada Health Act.

While it has been said time and time again, that Canada has one of the best healthcare systems in the world, why do Canadians complacently accept governments, medical professionals, corporations and the media, constantly endeavouring to convince us that MEDICARE is no longer sustainable, and should be changed to a two-tier, for profit healthcare system?

Have you ever considered or thought about the options available to someone who is suddenly ill and requires immediate medical attention? If you do not have the required finances or don't have the benefit of taxpayer funded public Medicare, how would you pay for hospitalization and treatment? Would a privatized healthcare system provide you with the necessary financial assistance in your time of need?

Have you ever suffered a serious illness prior to the introduction of MEDICARE, or perhaps since the implementation of the Canada Health Act? Well I have.

NEVER AGAIN should persons who don't have the financial means to pay for treatment for their illness under a privatized for-profit healthcare system, go through the humiliation and anguish that my parents suffered for years during my childhood, over several years of care and treatment in a hospital. It is only through the generosity and kindness of a dedicated physician who treated me as one of his own, that I as a senior citizen am still able to talk about my passion for not-for-profit MEDICARE.

Yes, I know that benefits are being violated and ignored on a regular basis by governments and others, and I also understand governments' concerns around continually mounting costs for health care.

I believe that MEDICARE is sustainable, but only when governments and societies to assess and strive to improve Canada's publicly funded MEDICARE system.

Mildred Canessa