Comment on privatisation of medical care in Canada by American
for-profit entities. The speaker is a family physician of my
aquaintance.
Zee
"{Some Canadian provinces are} becoming a hot-bed of private medical
purveyors. The latest (I get all their mailings, it seems), besides
the endless barrage of MRI services, is (name of company). Run by a
(name of entrepreneur), it links you up with one of several medical
service entities for cash services such as hip replacements, and
coronary bypass surgery (total wait time: 17 days).
{Name of hospital} or the {name of} Cardiology unit, attached to it,
are the main referral institutions. A hip or knee replacement cost a
mere $20,000 - $25,000 -- a bagatelle for, say, the upwardly mobile
(but mobility-impaired) CEO and/or friends.
The selfless {entrepreneur} says he will "continue in his efforts to
help as many people as he can". {Entrepreneur} has a B. Comm and 12
years in advertising under his belt, as well as 2 years with
stockbroker Merrill-Lynch.
I would guess that he's well qualified, therefore, for the work he's
doing; he knows how to count money, and he knows how to do PR.
Interestingly, the U.S. surgeons who replace hips comment that "the
condition of joints of Canadian patients is shocking....compared to
what they see in their normal practice with Americans". I suspect
those U.S. citizens whose joints are also "shocking" probably can't
afford to crawl into the hospitals where {entrepreneur} sends his
Canadian clients -- but I get the feeling that such petty
considerations don't factor into any of his calculations -- or that of
his U.S.doctor friends.
Do I sound a bit irritated?! Nah....injustice and unequal access to
basic care are good! They drive the economy and boost the GNP! And, as
an ancillary benefit, they keep people like {entrepreneur} off the
welfare rolls."