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I>AGL. 4,. WI)NL.S[)AY'. ISBRUARY Il, 1981, %Vlt1TBN' FREE PRESS whitby ( F by MjN.H.M. Publishing and Photography Inc. Phone 66.4-6111 The Free Press Building Voice of the County Town Michael Ian Burgess, Publisher • Managing Editor 131 Brock Street North, The only Whitby newspaper independently owned and operated by Whithy residents for Whithy residents. P.O. Box 206, Whitby, t0 Michael J. Knell Communîty Editor Marjorie A. BurgesS Production Manager Karen Thompson Advertising Manager Mailing Permit No. 480 Member of the Whitby Chamber of commerce g, 't. Timbrel should act quiekly on regional health council's recommendations it would appear as though congratulations would be in order for the Durham Regional District Health Council. In their report to Ontario Minister of Health Dennis Timbrell, the council has made some positive recommendations concerning Whitby's own Dr. J.O. Ruddy General Hospital. The heart of the council's recommendations would see Ruddy's presently unused second floor opened up and converted into a facility to treat chronic care patients. This recommendation makes a great deal of financial and political sense. Firstly, it allows for the continuation of a primary care facility within the Town of Whitby. The people of this community built that facility and donated their time, money and effort to see*it established. The people of this town saw the need for the hospital to exist despite the now-overturned recommendations of the council's consultants to turn Ruddy into the base for the future re- development of the Whitby Psychiatric Hospital. The recommendations allow for a greater use of the facility without changing its designed purpose - to be a source of health care for this community. Without'realizing it, the district health council has brought out their recommendations at an ex- tremely opportune moment. Five weeks from tomorrow, voters of the Province of Ontario go to polis to decide whether or not Premier Bill Davis and his Progressive Conservatives should hold onto the government that they have held for the last 37 years. The health council may have given am- muniation to the opposition Liberal and New Democratic parties who have promised to make health care an issue in this election. While the report does not make any criticism of the health care system in Region of Durham, it does point out many shortcomings and these recommendations are submitted in an effort to improve what we have. The evidence is great and weighty. While the principal of univeral health care has been accep- ted by almost everyone and is running smoothly there are some major faults that must be correc- ted. This was undoubtly proven by the Canadian Union of Public Employees who struck illegally at three hospital within our region. It is evident that many people invovled with the health care system are unhappy with it. While this publication has no comment on the merits or demerits of the recently ended strike we are compelled to point out that it appears to us that the health care system in this province is in dire need of a review. If we take the district health council's report as a basis for our argument, it can easily be established that the Ontario Ministry of Health is not fulfilling, to the extent that it should, its role as a co-ordinating body. This lack of co-ordination is proving to be a drain on taxpayer's dollars and creating inef- ficiency and duplication within the system. Another suggestion of merit that the council has put forward is that a community board be established to run the Whitby Psychiatric Hospital. This has a couple of advantages. It would encourage people to become more aware of the problems facing the mental health care system and would make the system more receptive to the needs of the community since that community was helping to establish policy. Appointing a community board for the psychiatric hospital would also rescue the facility from the bureaucratic thinking of Queen's Park and the centralized Ministry of Health. A. community board could bring in new ideas and innovations to the mental health care system. This publication gives guarded support to the universal health care system that is present in On- tario today. While admitting that it is probably too expensive, we find ourselves saying that it is Dear Sir: Let's be fair - when we moved f rom Toronto we knew it would be long distance to phone back, we were hoping Bell would gradually probably the finest system in the world. We would like to encourage greater political and community disucssion on the health care system because ways must be found to make it cheaper and more efficient. It is hoped that the minister will act quickly on the health council's report so that all the residents of this region can be assured of good, universal health care. Reader says.... Too much money wasted on buses Dear Sir: It is not enough that thousands of dollars are being thrown away on the fiasco of a bus service, now more mcney is being wasted to find out how many people use the buses, one would think it ob- vious without taking a surve y the answer is practically no-one.- What will it take for the "powers that be" to realize the only way a bus service is going to be a financial success is to return to the way it was, a bus to take people to Oshawa and for the students to have their school bus. We are told Whitby Transit is for people to shop locally, thats fine up to a point, but strangely enough during the last local èlection can- vassers that called for our vote agreed we need to go farther afield than Whitby to shop for more than groceries, apart from the fact that people en- joy browsing around the larger stores even if not buying. Isn't it time con- sideration be given to what the taxpayers of Whitby want. Yours truly D. Smith Green Street Whitby. extend their service as they have done in the past. People on fixed in- comes and ones with no ties in Toronto should certainly not have to pay for this ser- vice. But wait- i signed the petition for free dialing. i did not realize the increase per month this would be on everyones statement. CONT'D ON PG,. ) Phone debate needs fairness 1 mq