Health Care

Everyone has their own opinions on health care. Some believe in privatizing it to make it more competitive, some believe it should remain public. Seeing as this is my blog, I get to voice my opinion here without anyone interrupting me.

1. Canadian health care is based on 5 principles:
- universally available to Canadians,
- comprehensive in its services,
- accessible despite socioeconomic factors,
- portable within and outside the country, and
- it is publicly administered.
These principles govern health care across the country with each province administering its own health care plan - as long as they follow these principles.

2. Privatizing health care would no longer make the system publicly administered, would separate social classes with economic issues, and reduce its availability outside the country.

3. Due to the universal health care we have in Canada, we live by the motto, "Everything is free but nothing is readily available."

4. HEU is, unfortunately, made up of minimally educated workers (compared to other hospital unions), and the highly skilled workers within the union end up suffering for this.

5. Although HEU's wages are paid for by tax money, each and every member of HEU also pays their fair share of taxes - in essence paying their own wages.

6. I hate it when people try and blame health care workers when their grandmother in a nursing home isn't getting the care she needs. Look after your grandmother at home then. Not so easy is it? Think of it: someone else is caring for your loved one. The only way to get things done your way is to do it yourself.

7. I also hate it when people expect nurses to cater to patients and families. Between the nurse, the patient and the patient's 12 family members, who do you think is most likely best qualified to be making medical decisions? And between the nurse, the patient, the patient's 12 family members, and the nurse's 7 other patients, who is most qualified to decide what is a priority?

8. I could go on forever.