Our health care system puts Canadians at risk, writes Peter Watson.
Free enterprise exclusion has failed miserably when it comes to the distribution of healthcare services.
One of Canada’s self-proclaimed achievements is providing free medicine to all. Our ability to deliver medical services has failed and the sooner we face that sad reality the sooner we as a nation can fix our broken system.
An important link to receiving healthcare is hospital emergency departments. That is where you go when there is an emergency and that is where your doctor recommends you go when their office closed.
Wait times in an emergency department can easily be 10 hours before you see a doctor. Wait times discourage you from going to the hospital or leave before receiving medical care.
A friend told me a story. A middle-aged man went to the emergency department and asked how long he would wait. The wait time was not acceptable and so he left.
He went home. Lay down on his chesterfield. And died.
The deceased did not receive “free medicine.” He was denied timely medical care. The cause of death would be recorded as a heart attack. The true cause of death was a badly broken health care system.
Yes, maybe he should have stayed at the hospital. People do have heart attacks in hospitals but if there is a shortage of medical personal, how many of those die too?
The basis of this column is to consider financial planning and investment issues that enable you to support your life. Health is at the top of the list for people’s priorities.
On a personal note, over the years I have been impressed with the advancement of medical science.
Unfortunately, recently, it seems as if our healthcare system has imploded. It’s time to fix the problem. Our health depends on it.
Peter Watson, of Watson Investments MBA, CFP®, R.F.P., CIM®, FCSI offers a weekly financial planning column, Dollars & Sense. He can be contacted through www.watsoninvestments.com
