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Our ailing health care system
 Posted
3/26/2010 10:38:00 AM
I was relieved to see that there was at least a slight increase in the base funding for health care in Ontario in yesterday's budget.
Many hospitals were bracing themselves for a 0% increase, after balancing their budgets by forcing job cuts and cutting some services. That seems to be especially true in rural areas.
The 1.5% funding increase is more than some had estimated, but the bad news is that hospital costs in London are soon expected to rise by more than 4%.
As heard this morning on AM980, there's been speculation any funding shortfall could lead to layoffs at the regional cancer care centre. We won't know for weeks if the 1.5% will be enough.
I know that health care is one of the biggest parts of the Ontario budget, and the cost of health care seems to swell every year.
Two decades ago, 32 cents of every dollar spent on government programs were spent on health care.
Right now, it's 46 cents, and according to Finance Minister Dwight Duncan it could reach 70 cents in a little over a decade if we don't start managing our dollars better, and keep costs down in a way that doesn't compromise care.
One of the initiatives included in yesterday's budget speech was capping prescription drug prices, which seems like a good first step in cutting down some health care costs.
But much more needs to be done, and it needs to be done fast. While the costs are swelling and we're paying all this money into the health care system... I sometimes feel like it's not treated as high of a priority as some other aspects of the budget.
The old saying goes that, "You have nothing without your health." It sounds corny, but it's true. As our population continues to age rapidly, those who worked hard and paid into the system for years will soon be left without adequate care if we aren't quick to act.
A family relative is currently receiving cancer treatments in London, and I can't imagine him being denied adequate care because we as Ontarians didn't demand more from our government to do right by our health care system.
Maybe it's because of him. Maybe it's because my mother still struggles with memories of watching my grandfather pass away from cancer. Or my other grandfather who struggled with Alzheimer's disease for over a decade, which stole his ability to speak, eat, or function without the support of dozens of nurses. Maybe it's the amazing treatment I received from the doctors and nurses at Victoria Hospital two years ago after being hit by a car while riding my bike on Richmond Street.
But personally, I think health care should be our government's number one priority, above anything else. It already eats up the most money in the Ontario budget, and it shouldn't... but without tackling those issues head-on, we'll continue to dig ourselves into a deeper hole. Let's start giving our ailing system the treatment and attention it demands and deserves.
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Natalie Lovie
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