How many people really need an MD?
I am one of the 700,000 without a family doctor. However, it is not a crisis for me.
My local walk-in clinic filled the bill, especially when a rule was implemented that my medical file had to be accessible to whichever physician I was seeing.
Now, with access to my walk-in clinic no longer available (not sure what happened to them), I’ve switched to an online physician service.
So rather than lumping everyone without a family physician into the category of “in crisis,” I think the first step is to adjust the numbers so we know how many people out of this 700,000 actually need a family doctor because of their more complex medical condition.
These are the people who need to be served, not me, nor those who are still clinging to the myth of a close personal relationship with their GP.
Joanne Thibault
Victoria
Give advance payment to your family MD
Re: “Shortage of family MDs in B.C. must be addressed,” editoral, Feb. 11.
Congratulations on clearly describing four of the factors that “have brought our family practice system to the brink of collapse.”
“Demands … have grown exponentially,” “Health care underfunded by at least $3 billion,” “Administrivia plagues family practice,” “Existing fee-for-service system is a barrier to reform.”
I see a lot of merit in the proposed solution: “A two-year experiment, allowing physicians to try a different system, with the assurance they can revert to fee-for-service if the new model is too confining.”
My suggestion for a different system is one based on voluntary advance personal funding of $1,500 per family for yearly same-day access to their family doctor. The incentive here is for the doctor to devote sufficient time to keep his or her patients healthy so they need fewer visits.
The doctor would abandon all taxpayer funded fee-for-service charges for these advance-pay patients. Each family doctor participating in the experiment would continue to see a regulated portion of other patients on the current fee-for service and book-well-in-advance arrangements.
Bob Bray
Campbell River
Making do with scraps as government spends
The Ministry of Health wrote a glowing review on Jan. 24 of its own contribution to a new primary care clinic recently opened in Qualicum Beach.
Currently housing five full-time equivalent nurse practitioners, the clinic hopes to expand to include an additional nurse practitioner and two family physicians.
The glaring problem with this clinic is the enormous expense at which the ministry claims to have accomplished this remarkable feat. $1.4 million to start up a new clinic that will eventually host 10 or so practitioners?
Go ask every graduating family medicine physician if they might like $140,000 to start up a new practice, and you might not have so much of a primary-care shortage.
Although the details are fuzzy, the operating funding of $1.9 million a year is equally out of touch with reality.
Offer a group of qualified family physicians that kind of money and they could move mountains for patients in our area. The rest of us are left to make do with whatever scraps the ministry has left over.
Sean Birdsell
Victoria
No mention of health in the throne speech
Re: “Shortage of family MDs in B.C. must be addressed,” editoral, Feb. 11.
The editorial detailed the many factors that result in nearly one-third of the province’s population not having a primary care doctor.
The recent throne speech points the finger of blame fairly and squarely at the government. Health care did not appear in the described objectives for the year.
Irrefutable evidence shows higher death rates in the absence of a family doctor. Innumerable editorials and letters to the editor have been in vain.
I accuse the Minister of Health and the government of wanton negligence in failing to prevent unnecessary deaths and hardship in a huge chunk of our population.
The NDP is as negligent as the Liberals in this regard. Shameful.
Dr. Adrian Fine, MD
Victoria
The right to be heard has its limits
In the distant future, history will not be kind to those Canadians who have taken to the streets to undercut democracy and the rule of law.
Closer to the present, those hooligans who think they can break the law with impunity — because they believe the ends justify the means — will have to face the consequences of their actions in court.
Be certain that police are taking names, and for the lawbreakers that bill will come due with a stiff price.
But the past has already judged the irresponsibility and ignorance at the heart of this unrest.
The words of former U.S. vice-president Hubert Humphrey, spoken in 1965, ought to echo east and west, through the streets of Ottawa and over the Rockies through to Victoria:
“I wish to suggest that ample opportunity does exist for dissent, for protest, and for nonconformity. But I must also say that the right to be heard does not automatically include the right to be taken seriously.”
Paul Walton
Nanaimo
Fighting for freedom? Try going to Ukraine
The Ukrainian people are facing down one of the world’s largest armies, where they have little chance of success. Their free speech, rule of law and freedoms will all but disappear.
In contrast, in Canada, the pathetic revolt over the inconvenience of wearing a mask to save lives makes me sad and angry. These folks are silly pretend freedom fighters.
If they really want to fight for freedom they should join a real battle.
David Johns
Saanich
With these protests, the tail wags the dog
What a “Bizarro World” we live in where a small minority of people complain about a loss of freedom from the government imposing absolutely proven remedies for all of us to get our collective lives back.
These few people are disproportionately creating the same problem for others. It’s the tail wagging the dog.
Elon Musk is in full support of the truck contingent, while developing his autonomous driving software.
There are no heroes in this movement.
Bruce Mcgeachy
Duncan
Empowerment comes when logic goes
Re: “We aren’t as smart as we used to be,” letter, Feb. 10.
The letter was about the “no-brainers” who cannot think logically and who are disrupting services and our lives with their hypocritical ideas and demonstrations.
Consider also the fact that thinking that is anchored to ‘no-logic’ and ‘non-sense’ provides such people with — in their fuzzy ways of thinking — a sense of empowerment.
If more intelligent and rational people will not give us the respect we feel we deserve, then we will use the total absence of logic as our weapon — as our means of confusing and obfuscation ideas and issues to the point that their meanings are annihilated and facts and the truth are buried under hyperbolic screaming, honking and the chanting of empty slogans.
People capable of logical reasoning would never scream about protecting freedoms while at the same time interfering with or eliminating the freedoms of others.
They understand that that would be hypocritical — but of course that is the type of logical thinking that anti-vaxxers could never comprehend.
“No-brainers” is right.
Ray Arnold
Richmond
Let the protesters offer health care
The answer to the physician shortage in B.C. is right under our noses.
The anti-vaxxers apparently have significant medical and scientific knowledge, judging by their many categorical statements on the efficacy of COVID vaccines and other medical matters.
Surely their statements are not just based on hearsay or internet “research”!
Therefore, these wise and knowledgable people should immediately be enrolled in the medical profession and provided with all the equipment and facilities required to perform the duties for which they claim to be suited.
Fortunately, some of them have vehicles, quite large vehicles actually, which could be used as mobile clinics and to provide house calls.
Not using these readily available skills would be a real waste of valuable human resources.
Dale Leitch
Victoria
Fighting for freedom, then and now
The recent “freedom” protests in Victoria and elsewhere make me think of my father who, during the Second World War, joined the Royal Canadian Navy at the age of 17 and was on a ship in the North Atlantic when he turned 18.
I frequently think of my dad and thank his generation for fighting for our freedoms. We truly are resting comfortably on the shoulders of giants.
On the other hand, the individuals driving in circles around downtown Victoria blaring their horns and waving the Canadian flag are unwilling to get a needle and wear a mask to help protect their neighbours, community and country.
Please do not confuse them with the real thing.
Bruce Porter
Victoria
A big difference in law enforcement
So, as was reported on Sunday, if I camp in a national park when it is closed I will be fined, my equipment confiscated and be made to write a letter of apology to all and sundry.
However, if I use an 18-wheel truck to close a critical trade route with the U.S., glue myself to a highway and block traffic, intimidate and inconvenience the public and refuse to follow orders to leave, nothing happens.
I don’t want to justify the first offence, but allowing laws to be flouted in the name of freedom of expression simply infringes on the freedom of the majority. This calls the whole system of justice into question.
While the police were outnumbered early on in the so called truckers’ protest, this country’s leaders cannot allow mere force of numbers to absolve citizens from the consequences of their actions.
We have a national police force and an army. Let’s use them to deal with these issues shortly after they begin.
To do otherwise encourages more of the same. I have had enough.
Alan Newell
Chemainus
Whining and crying, but you’re not suffering
To the young man who yelled “we want out freedom back” and the trucker who laid on his horn who also “wants his freedom back” both need to realize they have their “freedom” to protest because other young men and women fought in wars to ensure most of the world would remain free.
Many others did their part too by learning to live with gas and food rationing.
Today, they are whining and crying because two years is too long to “suffer” the restrictions designed to keep us safe from COVID-19.
Try five years listening to the news each night to see if your son or daughter is on the latest casualty list. Suck it up, boys and girls, you are not suffering.
You don’t know what real suffering is. You have been pampered for too long.
It’s time give back to the ones who did not hit the streets in protest so you can have your “freedom.”
Dorothy Mullen
Victoria
Please, take back control of the country
When is our federal government going to exercise its authority and take back control of the country?
This has become anarchy and mob rule.
I believe the great majority of Canadians are fed up with these lawless individuals running roughshod over our rights and freedoms. This is expressed by our support by getting vaccinated and wearing masks to protect others and help reduce the spread of COVID.
It is long past time for the prime minister to stand up and do whatever it takes to end this insurrection/rebellion and restore order and control so we, the law-abiding majority, can get on with our lives.
John Martin
Nanaimo
Choose a better name: Call them Free-riders
We’re gamblers in the same game. As in any game of chance, prudent decisions are made based on the odds. Like it or not, in this game, decisions are made to maintain the smooth operation of society, from which the majority of individuals enjoy benefits.
Over decades, the eradication of certain diseases through immunization has proven the point that vaccines can be effective. Society tolerates the skeptics because of herd immunity. The odds are that a healthy community can exist when the majority of individuals take action to protect themselves and others.
When a virus becomes so contagious and adaptable that its spread outstrips the societies ability to function (i.e. care for the sick, support the network of activity necessary to maintain the operation of daily life), the odds have changed and different decisions will be made accordingly.
Today, the protesters tying up the country have found an effective and illustrative symbol to rally around. The Free-ride Convoy and the Free-riders have enjoyed the benefits derived from the vast majority of responsible individuals who historically have taken action to protect themselves and others.
In the logic of the gambling game analogy, the Free-riders actions are akin to overturning the table rather than accepting the outcome of the bet they made.
Laurie McDonald
Gabriola
Downtown tram could help business
With respect to motorized transport on Government Street, it could be time to reconsider the electric tram that was tried several years ago in Victoria.
It would help with emission reduction and contribute to green initiatives while helping the tourist businesses.
Harold McCarthy
Saanichton
Langford council needs a code of conduct
The video of Langford’s last council meeting is solid proof of why a code of conduct is needed now.
A frustrated Mayor Stew Young is shown acting in a disrespectful and unprofessional manner in a tirade against Coun. Lillian Szpak’s motion to incorporate a code of conduct. Irony at its worst.
I need my council to be functional and open to all opinions and points of view, on all issues. Young has done great work for Langford but with little opposition to his personal vision and growth agenda.
Increasingly faced by residents’ legitimate concerns about issues caused by the blistering rate of Langford growth, he appears unable or unwilling to stray from his bulldoze-and-bully style.
Quotes like “If you don’t like Langford then move” sure show a clear disdain to any resident concerns. Great leaders listen to their people and adapt to the environment and situation around them. Those who can’t or won’t need to move on.
J.A. Byam
Langford
Don’t take away freedom from others
Growing up, freedom was described as the right to do your own thing, as long as you did not infringe on other people’s rights and freedom.
When a protest takes away your freedom of movement or ability to go to work, who protects your freedoms? The police? The law? Politicians? Courts? The answer is: Nobody.
Watching those we think would protect our freedoms is like watching poorly co-ordinated people play dodgeball. Politicians claim it is not their jurisdiction or they do not interfere with policing.
Police claim they have no authority, direction or resources. Attorneys general claim they do not get involved with policing. Courts simply refuse to provide deterrents.
As the latest protest tramples on the rights of the 80 per cent of Canadians who did the right thing to protect themselves and others, it hard not to think of what happened in the U.S. capitol.
Those who scream freedom while disregarding rights and freedoms are hypocrites.
Arthur Duhame
Campbell River
Where is the sense in new dairy fees?
Can someone please explain the logic in a purchase I made?
I bought a one-litre cardboard container of 1% milk and a one-litre cardboard container of 10% cream. Apart from the labels telling the content, the cartons were identical.
Nevertheless, the cream carton was charged a six-cent ecological fee and a 10-cent refundable (if cashed in) deposit whereas the milk carton was not charged anything extra.
Yes, I know those are the new rules. I want to know the logic in them, since it is supposedly the container that is charged, not the contents.
Saying it’s the difference between milk being a beverage and cream a coffee additive isn’t necessarily so. I use milk or milk and cream in cereal and never drink them and drink my coffee black.
If the deposits are worthwhile, put deposits on all the same type of carton, regardless of size and regardless of content. And skip the ecological fee. It’s a six-cent price grab with nothing more of value then previously.
Iain Barr
Victoria
Freedom fighters need to follow new leaders
A simple message to the protesters who block our streets and highways here and in our nation’s capital.
They say they are demanding freedom to do what they want. Their strategy is to hold the rest of Canada hostage through blockades until their demands are met.
They, and we, should all understand that if our government caves into their demands, freedom as we know it will be gone.
Giving into their demands would set a precedent to all other fringe groups that this is the path to achieving their desires.
We as Canadians should never be held hostage to anybody, anytime. Our freedom allows us to hold political demonstrations; however, blockades and abuse and destruction will never achieve positive results.
So to all those people involved in these “hostage takings” who think they are freedom fighters, take my advice and find some new leaders who can show you the best way to voice your concerns instead of following the internet wackos you appear to be following now.
Go home, your strategy is not working.
Shan O’Hara
Langford
Family physicians need appropriate pay
I have noted with interest further closures of medical clinics and the severe shortages of family physicians in Victoria.
One of the factors influencing these closures is the inappropriate payment of the online virtual episodic contact with random physicians versus personal face-to-face care by your family physician.
It is time to reduce the fee to physicians for phone calls and virtual service. The money saved should be reallocated. Family physicians deserve and need to be paid more for their valuable face-to-face services.
Medical services plan could make these adjustments to the fee schedule very quickly.
If medical services cannot pay our family physicians sufficiently, it is time to consider direct payment for patients to receive proper health care from their family physician.
If we are willing to pay substantially for tradesmen and other professionals for their services, why can we not pay our physician appropriately as well?
Dr. Donna Wallace
Retired family physician
Victoria
Closing of medical clinics should bring new thinking
After having read many letters pointing out the silliness of expecting doctors to be small-business people and running offices on top of running a medical practice, it seems to me there’s an opportunity here.
When I look at the project about to be approved in Colwood, more than $1 billion in development, surely there was some possibility there to require the developer to allocate some of the space to a medical office.
Either the community could ask the developer to donate the space or the provincial government should take over the expenses of it. The doctors could come and practise without worrying about all of the overhead.
Combine that with a provincial plan for administration of medical offices, sharing the workload and centralizing a lot of the records, and surely the overhead costs could be brought down considerably.
It’s time for some creative thinking.
Peter Jennings
Saanich
Seniors need a raise in their supplement
A well-crafted cartoon can pack a powerful punch, revealing ugly realities with clarity and urgency.
Adrian Raeside’s brilliant cartoon brings awareness to the destitute circumstances of many low-income seniors trying to survive on poverty-level federal pensions.Thank you, Raeside, for reinforcing the message that our lives matter too.
A common misconception is that the average senior is living a charmed, affluent life. Nothing could be further from the truth.
According to the B.C. Seniors Report Card (by Sparc B.C. and United Way): “In 2016, almost one in five seniors (65+ years old) in British Columbia reported housing affordability challenges.”
The number of senior households on B.C. Housing’s applicant registry increased 58.7 per cent from 2012 to 2017. In 2015, 20.3 per cent of seniors in Richmond lived in poverty. Statistics from the B.C. Seniors Advocate are shocking: Half of B.C. seniors live on $24,000 per year or less.
As people faced skyrocketing food prices during January, low-income seniors were also slammed with a five-week wait for their federal OAS payments and the B.C. Seniors’ Supplement. These inhumane measures by B.C. and Ottawa were totally avoidable.
There should be an immediate $200 increase to the Guaranteed Income Supplement across the board by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. In these precarious COVID times, it is a no-brainer.
Doreen Marion Gee
Victoria
Many thanks for random act of kindness
Recently I took a tumble and due to my age found I could not get up.
Two people came to my aid, a lady and a gentleman.
The lady assisted me to my house (close by) and left me with a great feeling that there are so many ready to assist others.
Shaken up, I did not think to ask their names so I trust this word of thanks will suffice for recognition of their act.
I must use my walking stick in future, like so many other people in their 90s!
Les Quilter
Victoria
Use Trutch’s name to ensure he is remembered
Sir Joseph William Trutch. Engineer. Surveyor. Chief Commissioner of Land and Works.
Author of these words:
“I think they (the Indigenous people of the Oregon Territory) are the ugliest and laziest creatures I ever saw ….”
Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia (1871-1876). Agent of the CPR (1876-1890). Recipient of the Most Distinguished Order of St. Michael and St. George (1889).
Agent of these deeds:
1867: Trutch refuses to recognize the legitimacy of the reserves established by former governor James Douglas and had them re-surveyed, reducing their size by 91 per cent.
1870: Trutch denies the existence of aboriginal title and denies natives the right to acquire lands held by non-natives.
So what to do about the little street in Victoria named Trutch?
“Cross out the ‘c’ and save money on street signs,” say clever city hall accountants.
“Cross out the ‘c’ so the street sign proclaims ‘Truth’,” say virtue-signalling politicians.
“Forgive your enemies. But never forget their names,” said John F. Kennedy.
No saint, Kennedy’s observation is pertinent.
Whether the street is named Truth or something more appropriate by the descendants of the Indigenous people he wronged, Joseph Trutch must not simply be erased. He must be remembered.
Install a modest plaque on the street. Identify Trutch for the builder and bigot, surveyor and swindler, knight and scoundrel he was.
His name and story will then create valuable teachable moments from which people today and tomorrow can learn.
Jack Allen
Trutch Street resident
Victoria
Thinking back to the times before COVID
The 1960s, when Antigen was the lady married to Uncle Doug, were so much simpler.
Bill Carere
Victoria
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