Posted on 09/08/2007 11:53:36 AM PDT by John Semmens
When 43-year-old Shona Holmes of Waterdown, Ontario came down with a brain tumor that threatened her sight and life, all the Canadian Universal Public Health Insurance System could do for her was put her name on a waiting list. Then she did what many Canadians in dire health do—she sought help in the U.S.
Specialists at Mayo Clinic in Arizona told Holmes that if she did not receive immediate surgery to remove the tumor that was causing the problem, she risked going blind or even dying. Even armed with this diagnosis, Holmes was unable to induce the Canadian Health system to accelerate treatment. Ultimately, Holmes had to come back to the Mayo Clinic to have the surgery performed.
Spokesman for the National Health Service, Roland Dithers, defended the policy that shunted Ms. Holmes into a queue. “While this individual case may look bad, it is important that we not lose sight of the bigger picture,” Dithers said. “It is essential that we preserve the core value of equity. Having each person wait their turn assures all that there is no favoritism.”
Dithers acknowledged that having to wait “might be detrimental in isolated instances,” but insisted that the consequences were confined to a relatively small segment of the population. “An occasional premature death is an unavoidable cost of achieving the broad social benefits of a system where all are treated equally,” Dithers explained. “Who’s to say that some complaints ought to take precedence over others?”
Dithers suggested that administering to the much more numerous minor ailments of the majority “might relieve more person-hours of suffering than saving the life of one desperately ill individual.”
(Excerpt) Read more at azconservative.org ...
Anything other than a migraine or indigestion requires being put on the dreaded waiting list in Canada...or a trip to the US.
If the patient dies before he or she reaches the top of the queue, the National Health Service can save a lot of money. Funerals are generally less expensive than major regimens of treatment.
While taking a tour of a radiation clinic here in Florida last week, I met a man from Canada who was here for Prostate radiation treatment. He told me there wasn’t a clinic like it in Canada. He’s paying for his treatment himself and expects to be reimbursed by the Canadian health system.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.