The Doer government outlaws Manitobans from using their own after-tax money to purchase timely access to health care, yet when the public health system recently failed, the Premier and his Health minister hid from the media. Where’s the accountability?
Of course, we’re talking about the recent death of Brian Sinclair, a patient who died after waiting more than 30 hours in a hospital for treatment. Despite what Premier Doer and Health Minister Theresa Oswald initially told the public, surveillance tapes now prove Brian Sinclair did visit the hospital’s triage desk before his untimely death.
In other words, Mr. Sinclair appears to have followed the system’s rules, yet it failed him miserably.
Coincidentally, once it became apparent that it was likely a system error, not a patient error, Premier Doer and Health Minister Oswald basically went into hiding. The pair, who are often available for ribbon cutting ceremonies and cheque presentations, suddenly had packed schedules and were unavailable for comment to the media.
Manitobans deserve better. Premier Doer and Minister Oswald are essentially the CEOs of public health care in Manitoba. Just like real CEOs disrupt their schedules in order to report to their boards on urgent matters, Premier Doer and Minister Oswald should have been available to the media in order to report to their board - the people of Manitoba.
The pair could learn from Michael McCain, CEO of Maple Leaf Foods who recently faced a similar crisis.
In August 2008, a Maple Leaf Foods plant was found to be involved in an outbreak of listeriosis – an illness which caused the deaths of several Canadians.
McCain received widespread praise for his handling of the tragic situation. He held press conferences to discuss the matter with the media, ran ads in national newspapers to inform customers about the issue and even appeared in TV ads to address his customers directly.
Why wouldn’t Premier Doer and Minister Oswald take a similar approach? The reason is simple. Unlike McCain, the Premier and Health Minister don’t have to compete for attracting customers on a daily basis the same way merchants do. After all, we’re over two and a half years away from the next election, and Manitobans only have one health care system from which to choose.
It’s time for Manitoba to say goodbye to the North Korean and Cuban style of health care and join the long list of nations that allow both public and private health care services. Certainly one cannot forget that dentist, chiropractic and physiotherapy services are already provided by the private sector. Why not allow fully functioning private hospitals?
If citizens want to use their own after-tax dollars to pay for their own or a loved-one’s health services, let them do so right here in Manitoba. After all, allowing more private health care would be good for our economy and our public system.
One cannot overlook the fact that each time a Manitoban heads out of country for timely access to health care, their dollars are taken out of our economy and are used to support foreign jobs and businesses. Those dollars should stay here in Manitoba, especially during our present period of economic uncertainty.
Further, each patient that chooses private services is a patient that isn’t clogging up the public system’s waiting lists. Clearly, allowing private sector health services to expand in Manitoba is a win for patients, the government and our economy. It’s time for reform.