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economist suntribune health thursday oct 3 2002 tessa benn1reland educator says immigrants must be better screened for infectious diseases dan carriere hospital president says access to health care pillar of canadian society ian zatzman chief of family prac tice says doctors burning out while governments bicker helena jaczek medical officer of health says politicians should focus on preventing not treating illness frank klees oak ridges mpp says province cant sustain current health spending time to break mould of health care mpp by lisa queen staff writer while clearly under stress canadas uni versal medicare system is not in crisis and must be protected from those intent on dismantling it a panel of york region healthcare experts and consumers advocated in newmarket tuesday night however the panel argued a cat alogue of improvements is needed to bolster a system under tremen dous pressure recommendations were far ranging and included beefing up healthcare funding for communities such as york region that have been short changed for years accelerating the process that licenses foreigntrained doctors to work in canada considering further privatiza tion of some health services providing better working con ditions and job security for nurses expanding the homecare net work and recognizing the work homecare workers provide increasing the number of beds in longterm care facilities and implementing changes to the way family physicians and other frontline healthcare workers deliv er medicine i still believe with qualified reservations that we have in ontario and canada the best healthcare system in the world said panelist dan carriere presi dent of southlake regional health centre we dont need dismanding of the system we need reassessment we have terrific outcomes com pared to countries that spend more on health care including the united states he added mr carriere said he finds it strange that in the us carrying a ithe uman factor a series exploring all things affecting all people in york region staff writer lisa queen reports findings of health forum gun is considered a right while access to health care is a privilege in canada providing universal access to health care is a right most citizens treasure he said its a pillar of our society mr carriere was one of seven members of the panel put together by the york region newspaper group including the economist sun to discuss the future of medicare and offer madeinyork solutions to die challenges facing the system more than 50 residents attended the forum which also featured oak ridges mpp frank wees regional medical officer of health and oak ridges liberal candidate dr helena jaczek community home assistance to seniors personal and homesupport worker pat rawson newmarket resident and patient advocate peter hamilton markham childrens librarian and educator tessa bennireland and york central hospital chief of family practice dr ian zatzman while mr klees insisted the tories are committed to preserving the fundamentals of the canada health act including universality and access he suggested politicians would be foolhardy not to consider more private sector involvement in health care arguing many health services such as xrays and longterm care are already provided by businesses he said patients are more interested in getting proper and speedy med ical care than in the business struc ture of the provider to say the least i think the healthcare system has dealt patients and their families a heavy blow we have to be willing to break the mould of the current system he said adding his government has increased funding to the regions three hospitals by 78 per cent over the past seven years to 253 million this year up from 138 million in 1995 at the same time however he stressed the province wouldnt be forced to consider more privatiza tion of health care if the federal gov ernment would increase its share of funding to 50 per cent from the cur rent 14 per cent mr hamilton whose wife died two years ago of breast cancer and whose elderly mother has just been placed in a nursing home described the frustrations facing family members caring for ill rela tives when the system isnt there to help to say the least i think the healthcare system has dealt patients and their families a heavy blow he suggested taking a page from the us system that allows patients to pay for extra care in canada even if i could pay for treatment for my wife i could nt get the coverage he said adding there is a deep public frustration with the health system pointing to a regional task force report released last month dr jaczek said york residents have struggled to find care from agencies see morale page 26 premiers pressure pm on healthcare promise weeks before the roy romanow commission releases its recommendations next month on the future of medicare jean chretien signalled his intention during mondays throne speech to invest more funding in health care mr chretien who delivered his final throne speech before step ping down in 17 months pledged to provide longterm funding needed to address concerns with the system he did not put a dollar figure on his promise typical for a throne speech canadians will have to wait until the next budget expected next february before they learn the extent to which mr chretien will put his money where his mouth is the canadian medical association welcomed mr chretiens renewed commitment to health care but provincial premiers slammed the liberals in newspa per advertisements tuesday the federal government says health care is a top priority which raises the question of why theyre only paying for 14 per cent of it read the ad from the premiers council on canadian health awareness pointing out health care is now by far the single largest expense for every province premiers accused ottawa of abandoning its commitment to medicare over the years the federal gov ernment has cut its share of healthcare funding in canada from 50 per cent to 14 per cent forcing provincial and territorial governments to make up the shortfall and its a shortfall that continues to grow the ad said an aging population and increasing costs for drugs and medical technology have put healthcare funding under more pressure than ever before the premiers promised to con tinue funding health care were doing our part were spending more than ever before and well continue to spend more they said but we need ottawa to con tribute its fair share and the soon er that happens the sooner we can all move forward the time for action is now reg 292500 sfcsale fall home furnishings 4747 hwy 7 east of kennedy markham 905 4775524 where beautiful homes begin mon wed 106 pm thursfri 10jpmj saturdays 10530 pm