Politicians in charge of the health system are failing people
By Lethbridge Herald on August 23, 2024.
Editor:
There’s nothing like personal experience to bring politics home. Right now, I’m paying attention to health care issues – in particular wait times for elective surgeries.
I’m waiting for a hip replacement. When I share that, strangers share stories of a person in their life that needs a hip or recently received hip surgery. Hips and knees are in high demand.
The challenge I hear over and over is that wait times exacerbate health challenges. This is setting us up for even more health care costs in the future.
It’s not something I thought about until I experienced it. It’s just a hip, right?
Well, yes, but the ancillary effects include:
• Lack of cardio exercise. This concerns me because I had a heart attack in 2009 and made a full recovery through much hard work and determination.
• Weight gain due to lack of mobility at the age of 65 – that’s going to stick around.
• Pain in the muscles that compensate for the lack of my right leg. My left leg, wrist, shoulder, low back and my neck all hurt.
• Eating Tylenol by the bottle. I just can’t see that as a good habit, but opioids seem like a bad idea.
• Pain makes me angry. I think this is common among humans, but the reality of it is difficult for everyone around me.
•Mental health. It’s distressing to accept my limitations. I walk to improve my mental health, wrestle with conundrums or address sleep issues. I can’t go for long walks right now.
All the things I took for granted before this started have become ridiculously painful.
I can’t take out my garbage or recycling. I can’t go grocery shopping. I can’t take my grandson to the park or even play with him in the backyard.
I’ve had to lower all my house cleaning and eating standards.
I no longer make my own bread or other baked goods.
Thoughts of entertaining at home are out of the question due to the lower house cleaning standards and inability to stand for hours in the kitchen to make the gourmet food my reputation demands.
Finally, this is my second year of not being able to grow a garden for home canned tomato sauce, strawberry jam, corn relish and other goodies my friends and family are accustomed to getting for Christmas and birthdays.
In short, I’m losing myself because of a bad hip. I had no idea.
Of course, I pay attention to the news and views regarding our health care system. I’ve now had two medical professionals tell me our provincial government is mismanaging our health care system. That’s some scary stuff when a health care provider tells you, unsolicited, they can’t help people they way they want.
I realize running a health care system is complex. When I had that heart attack 15 years ago, I saw cracks in our medical system, but now I think it’s outright broken. We are not focused on maintaining good health or preventing increased health risks. Our doctors (for us lucky few that have them) don’t have time to look at us fully. They see us one issue at a time with little opportunity to connect any dots.
I don’t know about you, but I feel as though our health system is purposefully shrouded in a cloak of mystery. The politicians in charge are failing lots of people. They need to do better.
C. Lacombe
Lethbridge
25-24
I have been in constant pain since 1989. There is no cure for what ails me. So look on the bright side, you do have a solution to your problem, all you need is a surgeon to fix it.
It is not coincidental that the time the Health Care System started to fail the Drug Addicts appeared in droves in our system! Drug Addiction is allowed to spread like wild fire and to ensure it does we cater to those that have the problem and ensure they are up to date on how to abuse themselves in the best profitable way. We enable the user so that time and time again, ambulances, police, and Health Care professionals are tied up for hours.
I was having one of my yearly out of control heart issues, went to the emergency and had to sit there for 8 hours while they monitored me. During that time 2 Officers were in the Emerg, the entire time, why? Until the Emerg Staff officially take a Drug Addict from the officer, he must remain with the Addict, and this guy was violent!
At the sametime, there were 4 overdoses rushed in to occupy there emergecy beds. During that period, I watched as no less than 7 staff cared for the 4 overdoses with a 8th and98th appearing occassionally. Meanwhile those waiting in the waiting room for help….well…..just keep waiting!
Now, repeat this scenario 6-7 times a night, and guess what you have? Burn out, people quitting health care because looking forward to cleaning up vomit and excrement from an Addict that has been there 5 times that week is not what people signed up for!
Service Providers (which are in the 100s) for Addicts blame all this on COVID and UCP or NDP or God or anyone but themselves. Eventually, perhaps, not in my lifetime. someone will realize we are killing a society just to allow Social Services to profit!
Is there another answer, yes there is but no one wants to listen because they are doing “God’s work”! You, simply are acceptable collateral damage, get used to it! We treat Drug Addiction like it can and will be solved. I watch daily as politicians make stupid upon stupid moves as if, its not a permanent decision they are making, it is!
So we proceed with what was initially called a Community Care Campus and believe the politicians when they say they dropped that idea. They didn’t they just didn’t like the fact that some people knew they were intending (with purpose) to kill our city and downtown! So they dropped “Southern Alberta Rehab Center, adopted Community Care Campus, and found them both unpopular so dropped both names only but the “destination is the same”.
LHAs 30+ bed is still being built across from the Bakery on Stafford. The Shelter (owned by LHA operated by Blood Tribe Health) just announced another 100 bed increase to the facility. Streets Alive purchased Eldorado ($1.7million+ ,I hear, its good to be poor) for Addicts under the name “Homeless Treatment” when we all know who is helped. I would bet that within 3 years Lethbridge Council will announce that the Admin Building (on Stafford) they have is “too small” and will be building another one at our cost so they can turn it over to Social Services and “poof” you have a “Southern Alberta Addiction Treatment Facility” covering every square inch of land with the exception of the Lumber Company, the Kitchen Center and the ATCO building.without naming it! In time, those buildings will follow suit. The Good thing is Business in Lethbridge follows up with “at least its not Downtown, as if Hwy3 is a solid barrier, or Downtown was never intended to grow?
Good Luck in getting any “quick Health care in Lethbridge no matter how many Health Professionals show up”. We are building the largest Addiction Coddling Facility in Alberta and thats where the money will go and thats where the money is made! You, will just have to take a Ticket and stand in line, the line gets longer every year! Contrary to those that wash the feet, this is 100% permanent and will forever mute growth in Lethbridge, but we signed up for it by not saying a word!
Between 2017 and 2020 I was in hospital 8 times in Edmonton and waited at least 6 to 8 hours in the emergency ward of a hospital in extreme pain and had two blocked bowel surgeries and two kidney stone surgeries. The other times were created by massive infections while waiting for my surgeries to fix my problems.
Brilliant and knowledgeable observation that seems to be reached by those not profiting from the system. That and those who won’t get out of their comfortable dens on their fenced acreages and really look into what is going on. But as long as it is not on their doorstep and politicians make sure it doesn’t, Dennis Bremner and the like are dismissed as vigilantist.
It is mostly local politicians (Blood council and city councilors) that have wavered, enabled and buried their heads in the sand on this issue that has directly lead us to where we are today.
Firstly, I understand the frustration of waiting for your surgery along with pain and lifestyle limitations you are experiencing. You do not indicate how long you have been waiting for your elective surgery, however when in constant pain and discomfort, a year, month, even a day or minute is too long.
Please rethink your position of blaming politicians for “failing the people”. Rather, it is the populous who should be considered responsible, as they collectively elect the politicians to office. That is why it is so paramount to vote responsibly so that the politicians who support (in your reference health care) are elected to office.
Currently, it is very evident that our provincial government (UCP) are advancing in significant strides to “fix” health care issues created and intensified by the previous NDP government (politicians). The current health care reform IS WORKING and is very evident here in Lethbridge. Have you seen the new walk in clinics opened and/or being constructed in local pharmacies? As well, we now have two (one east and one west) diagnotistic labs that have very convenient hours of operation.
There is truth to your comment, we need to have the proper politicians in place… not only here in Lethbridge, but in Alberta, and Federally. Heath care transfer payments from the Federal Government (our tax dollars) to our province (and other provinces) need responsible governence (politicians) in place.
Your challenge, C. Lacomb, vote responsibly and learn from previous mistakes NOT to vote for union sympathetic, bleeding heart NDP who in Alberta’s case, drove up health care costs exponentially, with administrative and non-productive staff that left the actual care providers wanting.
Can you explain why our senior friends didn’t have a problem under the Lougheed and Getty governments and these delays all started with Ralph Klein and the horrible mess he made with our healthcare system by closing hospitals, closing 1,500 hospital beds, and cutting 5,000 nursing positions. My sister with the knee problem was a Lab Technician for many years at the Royal Alex Hospital in Edmonton and certainly knows all about what Incompetent Politicians did to us. I haven’t forgotten the nurses bawling their eyes out in my office when Klein destroyed their careers, why would I? I helped 9 doctors and at least two dozen nurses relocate out of this province and not one wanted to go their families were here and Klein gave them no choice if they wanted to save their careers.
Harold, your reference to unions in this post is disparaging, so here is my question for you. When you were employed by the Federal Government and were represented a union, did you ever refuse a pay raise, or improvement of working conditions negotiated on your behalf by the union that represented you?
And what about your federal pension, negotiated on your behalf by your union, do you refuse that, or do you accept the monthly deposit?
You raise an excellent insight to the double standards that Harold regularly demonstrates in these comment columns. If he indeed is the former federal employee that others in these columns have pointed out he is, based on his often touted opinions and disdain for unions, Harold was likely a member of the “Free Riders’ Club” during those years of employment. With some of the best benefits any union has garnered for the employees they represent, he would have, along with his family, benefited from the gains achieved for their welfare by union members who actually contributed to the efforts to improve working class folks’ lives. In truth, unionized employees or not, I frequently witness people taking advantage of everything from paid overtime, vacation pay, sick pay, health benefits, wage increases, maternity leave, safety laws, CPP, … the list goes on, with hands open to collect same while their mouths smear the people who worked diligently throughout history to make sure they enjoyed such benefits. In the natural world such individuals are termed parasites. Like yourself I have challenged fools to payback the cost of their vacation pay, overtime, maternity leave… and even those who have just received free medical care for injuries they sustained (because they steadfastly refused to wear safety goggles !) … not one spoke up to say “Yes, I have integrity, I will put my money where my mouth is, I will pay that back.” What say you Harold ?
Interesting comments, but totally false.
Who in the world are you talking about?
So answer the question. Are you or were you a federal/provincial employee? Pretty straightforward. As with previous entries by yourself , you skip, jump, prance and preach but frequently avoid answering the questions directly.
We ALL “work” for the Provincial/Federal/Municipal government(s)! We are ALL tax payers!
oh, so we are all union members according you.
btw – a most evasive response to a very simple question.
a short look back into our history tells us a shocking story of how “employers” took egregious advantage of workers, including little kids. it was organised labour, unions and professional associations alike, that forced through somewhat decent wages and increasingly safer and more humane working conditions.
if one thinks organised labour is no longer needed, nor ever was, the present tells us, even as big corps and wealthy oligarchs hold ever massive chunks of the capital pie: that we still have legions of working poor in our land; that big corps go abroad to find cheap labour and care less about unsafe working conditions or their effect on the environment…all they want is lowest costs no matter what that effect; that the plight of temporary foreign workers is our canary in the mine, that their abuse as human being workers by a wide swath of employers demonstrates still how, without organised labour, the plight of humans is made all the more horrendous by greed and power and control monsters.
Isn’t it true what people from Lethbridge tell us ? You are Harold Pereverself and they weren’t interested in you bringing your Reform Party stupidity to the table so defeated you in the 2021 Lethbridge civic election?
Like all true reformers you praise what these phony conservatives have done to Albertans starting with Ralph Klein, and ignore the hundreds of billions of dollars they have screwed us out of by helping the rich get a lot richer and shows no respect for our children, and grandchildren’s future? Proving there is nothing Conservative about you?
Who do you think you are fooling?
“People from Lethbridge”? What game you playing? Perhaps, to lesson your confusion for you, I should change my sign on name to “Susan R” would that help?
BTW – Harold P = “Herald Post”
Once again you aren’t man enough to answer the question and aren’t man enough to prove who you are? Unlike me I have never hidden the fact that I was Alan K. Spiller
Hey Alan K. Spiller, I took the time/effort to Google both Alan K. SPILLER and Harold PERVERSEFF. Alan K. SPILLER is either a hyponotherapist or some “DP” residing in St. Albert, Alberta (near Edmonton) this alleged Harold PERVERSEFF on the other hand comes up with apparent ties to Lethbridge with particular fashion. Regardless, your next theory, “Alan K. SPILLER???
For the record after my father donated around $30,000. to the Alberta Conservative Party Klein almost killed him with his healthcare cuts, so why wouldn’t I take it upon myself to try to protect all the good Peter Lougheed created for the good of the people. The conservative MLAs I knew certainly appreciated what I was trying to do, and members of Klein’s own family did also. Lougheed’s Energy Minister Bill Dickie was a brother in-law of one of my uncles. So why shouldn’t us true conservatives be disgusted with fools like you who have blindly supported these Reformers and helped them destroy what we had under Lougheed? I haven’t lived in St. Alberta for 12 years and you still aren’t man enough to answer our simple questions are you? Who are you and what is your name and why is that so hard for you to understand? There is certainly nothing conservative about you so we aren’t interested in your stupid comments, why would we be? As friends say “ He is all mouth and no brains, the damage done by these Reformers can’t be more obvious but this fool finds it smart to ignore them, why” ?
If Susan R works for you, go for it. But maybe you could include your preferred pronouns.
i thought it was secret code for horse poop
Have you read the article in the Toronto Star “ Alberta’s Healthcare Reform Has Put Their Healthcare on The Verge of Collapse”. Have you forgotten what Ralph Klein did to us, while Danielle Smith has nothing but praise for what he did to us, and now she is repeating it, where is the intelligence in that?
It was Ralph Klein who said “Albertans aren’t smart enough to understand our plans for healthcare reform so we aren’t going to tell you what they are”. I think I know who he was talking about, don’t you? Now Danielle Smith a huge supporter of Klein’s is ramming her privatization of rural healthcare down your throats because she knows she can. How long will it be before you have to pay to use these facilities or pay a doctor when you need help? Did you bother to think about that?
AHS is a huge problem. Too many bureaucrats. This was evidenced when scamdemic was happening. The AHS “officers” harassing businesses and citizens. That is not what health care people are for.That is only a small part of the problem. Capital gains tax scaring doctors away, overpaid staff, rediculus “rules” , – – – -.
Geez did you ever touch the woe is me I’m NDP button. 17 down votes indicates no common sense in that party. They are existing in a wasteland of vitriol and hate for those that may present facts they disagree with. They are trying to out shout you. Your comments reek of the truth. Tough pill for the naysayers. 18 thumbs up to you.
While you two senior geniuses continue to prove how foolish you are you haven’t noticed that no one agrees with you yet you still don’t get it that you might be the problem and your fellow seniors laugh about how ignorant you are, don’t they?
Pre-Covid the well respected, independent, not-for-profit organization the Canadian Institute of Health Information concluded that the AHS had the lowest administration costs of any health care system in Canada. The AHS had both competent leadership and buying power. Jason Kenney markedly undermined the strength of the AHS by firing former CEO Verna Yiu who was highly regarded as very capable administrator. The Smith UCP government has continued to dismantle the AHS and to create the chaos and funding policies that are easily recognized by medical professionals and patients as core to the problems of the Alberta health system.
Remember when Lethbridge had 400 acute care beds before the drastic and brutal Klein health care cutbacks? Lethbridge had many doctors then. It was worthwhile for them to stay and new doctors were attracted here.
In those days, folks did not wait long for their surgeries and could see a specialist in a timely manner.
Now, It is expected that with an ever increasing population in the city and surrounding area that we could cope with 200 beds and less doctors and specialists in the city? And what of all the surrounding communities who used to have significant acute care beds with adequate numbers of doctors? That was all cut back.
For those who default to “it’s this way across the country,” the question could be: What would it be like if Lethbridge still had 400 acute care beds along with former acute care beds in surrounding communities where folks could get treated and go to for recovery and rehabilitation?”
Like one of the surgeons in Lethbridge said at the time of the Klein cutbacks: “People have to decide what they want.” Another one said, “It was Nirvana.”
Sadly, is there still the disconnect with how one votes and the repercussions that go with it? For me, a retired frontline health care professional, I stopped voting for the AB Conservatives when we saw this health care boondoggle coming a long time ago.
Even then, we could see that it was not longer progressive conservatism. Now, we have this authoritarian government with their ongoing drive toward private-for-profit health care. They just do, not, care. Actions, do, speak louder than lip-service words. It’s something like not walking one’s talk with God.