Gov’t selling surgeries

My response to Petersen’s letter.

The first paragraph says it’s unfair to sell surgery space to foreigners while not selling to Canadians.The rest of the letter goes on to suggest that B.C. residents should be able to buy services first.  This would be a defacto two-tier system.

Dear Editor:

S.I. Petersen’s letter March 16th has a great first paragraph.  Unfortunately, the letter goes on to inadvertently condone a two-tier health care system.  A system the present Provincial Government has been trying to shove down our throats for a long time now.  Should we bear the burden of lengthy surgical wait times, while having an excess of hospital and surgical capacity?  Which of us should wait, possibly to die waiting, while our “Government” sells  “excess” surgical space to the highest bidder?  Is it relevant, whether the highest bidder is a B.C. “resident” or a “foreign patient”?  What is relevant, is that it would be better for the citizens of B.C. to still reject the Two-Tier Health System.  Let those who really desire to “line jump”, do so by purchasing their care in another, “less progressive” country.   I hear that  “The United States of America” is suffering through a recession, The USA could probably use our “top tier business”  to help  reduce “its” costs and bolster “its” poor economy.  Perhaps a two tier, privatized ambulance service is next on this government’s agenda?  That way, if you lived in an affluent neighborhood, you  could “pay extra” for your service, and not have to wait for the “lowest bidder” to arrive and attend to your heart attack.

Alan MacKinnon
Nanaimo

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