"BCITORGB" wrote in message
oups.com...
rick reports:
============
Despite the jingoistic spewing of others, here is a ase of a
man,
not a teen, waiting for new knees. 2 1/2 years. It's so bad
that it is now bone on bone and his pain meds have been upped
to
morphine.
http://www.pentictonherald.ca/?nopic...ate=2004/09/15

This guy isn't willing to wait. Why would you support that he
has to?
================

rick, that's an interesting article that presents us with a
number of
factors to consider.

First of all, we're not exactly talking an urban setting here.
Penticton is a small town which has only one orthopedic
surgeon. THIS
surgeon's waiting list is 290-plus. Further, let's examine why
there
might be that many on the waiting list. Penticton is not only
an
orchard/vineyard agricultural center, but it is also a
preferred
retirement center for many Canadians. Hence, there are a great
many
older, retired folk in this community. Net result: high demand
for
joint replacements.
=============================
Let's also see that there are other sugeons in the area. This
guy just cannot avail himself of them because of a have, have-not
system. He is loked into a waiting list despite there being
available capacity.



I suspect the man in question, in this article, could get
referred to
orthopedic surgeons in other centers (perhaps Vancouver) where
there
are likely to be more orthopedic surgeons (greater supply,
hence less
waiting). The guy in question, however, is unwilling to shut
down his
business for a few days to have the procedure done elsewhere.
At this
point, I take a Scott Weiser approach to him: "Tough ****!"
====================
Looks like you're reading that into the story, not reading it.
Why would he have looked into going to the states for treatment
if he was unwilling to leave at all. I doubt that he can go to
other facilities in the health system he is tied to.



I think it unrealistic, living in a nation as sparsely populatd
as
Canada, to expect every medical convenience in every nook and
cranny of
this huge nation. For purposes of efficiency and economies,
some
services (medical and otherwise) are only going to be available
in
major centers. This guy bemoans the fact that shutting down his
business, to have the surgery done elsewhere, will cost him
$220/day.
Hey, I live in an urban center, and just on house values alone
I'll bet
I spend $400-$500 more per month on my mortgage than he does.
The
Weiser sapproach again: "Suck it up buddy, and take a trip to
Vancouver
and get your surgery done."

An interesting quote: "Binfet said it would cost $45,000 US to
have the
surgery done in Bellingham, Wash., and that's for one knee
only. "I
can't afford it," he said."

Hey the guy needs two knees done. That's $90,000. He can't
afford it.

The bottom line is, I thinks there's much more to the story
than just
the headline.

Interesting, nonetheless.

frtzw906