NO WAITING:
July 10, 2007
 |
| Wendy Despins: “As Manitobans
and as Canadians we need to advocate on behalf of our
public system and not have it eroded by privatization.
With shortages of Health Care Professionals already in
the public system developing a parallel private system
would only drain away workers from a system already stretched
very thin. Wait times in the public sector will become
even longer.” |
People in attendance were engaged and energized
by the range of views presented by the panelists, who represented
diverse disciplines and perspectives.
Audience members were encouraged to speak as
well, and many did, offering their experiences, ideas, and
suggestions. The forum was well-received by attendees; many
participants were grateful for a chance to speak to the need
for improved health care within the structure of Medicare.
The No Waiting forum featured panelists representing
a wide variety of organizations and perspectives. MAHCP
President Wendy Despins led the discussion by focusing
her remarks on the issues and impacts of shortages of Health
Care Professionals and the importance of a national human
resource strategy for health care. She also stressed the importance
of advocating on behalf of our public system and not to have
that eroded by privatization.
Dr. Luis Oppenheimer, WRHA Provincial
Director of Patient Access, discussed the work that
the WRHA has undertaken regarding wait times. In his analysis,
it was discovered that simply increasing the volume of available
resources didn’t change the wait times – that
doing more is not the answer. Encouraging results have been
seen through better management of available resources, including
the consolidation and streamlining of surgical waiting lists.
Professor Pete Hudson of the Canadian
Centre for Policy Alternatives observed that there
is no way to actually fully eliminate wait times, but that
it should be possible to minimize wait times in a way that’s
fair. He also reflected that the health care system today
is delivering more services than ever before, despite “draconian
cuts and hugely increased demand,” but with essentially
the same inputs (adjusted for changes in Gross Domestic Product
(GDP)) that the system had 40 years ago.
Dr. Sid Frankel of the Social Planning
Council of Winnipeg recommended a long-term view,
where greater consideration be paid to the determinants of
health in order to decrease need for health care. He argued
that “the most important long-term wait time reduction
policy may well be a poverty reduction policy.”
Rebecca Walberg of the Frontier Centre
for Public Policy suggested that we should look to
the performance of the European health care systems in order
to improve our own. She provided extensive comparative statistics
that provided insight into systems that are significantly
different than Canada's.
Honourable Dr. Jon Gerrard, Leader
of the Manitoba Liberal Party, provided insights
as a politican and physician that were also interesting. He
categorized the argument that the health care system can’t
afford to deliver timely treatment and care as a myth, where
the facts are that if people have to wait a long time, increased
visits, tests, and surgeries (a greater burden on the health
care system) are the results.
In her closing remarks Wendy Despins highlighted
strategies towards Eliminating
the Wait. The forum was well-received by attendees; many participants
were grateful for a chance to speak to the need for improved
health care within the structure of Medicare. A number also
thanked the MAHCP for the opportunity to have health professionals
and consumers speaking to each other about these issues.
November and December,
2006
Media Commentary
On an ongoing basis, the MAHCP as represented by its president,
Wendy Despins, has been a trusted source of specialized information
to local print and broadcast media about health care issues
and the concerns of health care providers in Manitoba. Wendy
can be reached via the MAHCP offices.
Wednesday, October
11, 2006
East St. Paul Lions Club
MAHCP President Wendy Despins spoke to the members of this
service organization about MAHCP and its role in health care
in Manitoba
May 29, 2006
Eliminate the Wait on CJOB
Richard Cloutier, host of the popular
radio program Richard Cloutier Reports (RCR) on Winnipeg's
talk-radio CJOB 68 became the first radio host to introduce
Eliminate the Wait to Manitobans. His insightful interview
with MAHCP President Wendy Despins raised key issues plaguing
Manitoba's healthcare system and allowed her to present MAHCP's
approach to a solution.
Thank you to Richard and CJOB.
May
26, 2006
MAHCP Striving to Build an Allied Front
MAHCP representatives are presently contacting Manitoba media,
health-associated organizations, hospital foundations, and
associations. These organizations are being invited to become
MAHCP allies in the campaign to Eliminate the Wait.
Any media source, Manitoba company, association, or foundation
wishing to join the Eliminate the Wait initiative,for the
good of all Manitobans, is invited to contact Carole Marshall
at 204-947-2299 or via
email.
Find it all here!
Government response and action … Media reports and programming
… Consumer insights … Personal stories …
Monitoring wait times … Patient reports … MAHCP
member recommendations, news releases and scheduled news conferences
Are you a patient in ‘Waiting’? The MAHCP is
on your side. Tell us
your story, your thoughts and concerns, and constructive suggestions |
