*OUR READERS WRITE System was ravaged efrom SORRY on page 6 citizens have now enjoyed decreased access to an ever- dwindling range of health services. T he Harris govemrment declaring that Halton had too many family doctors, when we know that most doctors here are too busy to accept new patients. This mistake pcnaiized recent mcd- ical graduates who wanted to move to Halton. Only after 18 months of intense lobbying by Dr. Tony Pracsovics and me did the govemment admit its error, and we, once again, have some hope of attracting new doctors to Halton. aChanges in the Ontanio Drug Benefit Limited Use (LU) pro- gramn, which would have denied several newer life-saving dnsgs to our most vuinerable patients. Only when informed that 7,000 doctors i the province would defy the Ministry of Health's fiat did Mike Harris' govemment relent. Unlike the generous Peter C. Berry, 1 cannot give Mike Harris credit for keeping promises that were naive, ill-conceived, and addle-pated, victimidzing our less fortunate neighhors and tramnp- ing on our constitutional rights. In addition, I'd like to acquaint Mr. Berry and your readers with the following facts: e The Harris government in rushing to implement its doctrinaire agenda begat the monstrosity, the Health Services Restructuring Commission. This commission, serene in its omniscience, con- sumrmatedl a shotgun mamrage betwcen -Milton District Hospital and Oakville-Trafalgar to suit its own political agenda without regard for thse health care needs of the citizens of nortis Halton. - Traditional referral patterns between Milton and Burlington and years of goodwill were ignored by the HSRC. * lise Milton medical staff wholeheartedly recommended hiring one obstetrician who applled for the position in Milton, and who was willing to practise here full time, but who was later tumned down by tie hospital board for financial reasons. * Three Milton famrily doctors quit providing obstetrica services when our obstetrician went on vacation, and the chief of obstet- rics in Oakviile indicatcd that Oakville's obstetricians were too busy to provide back-up coverage for Milton. Before our obstetri- cian returncd from vacation, the obstetrics ward was closed. e lise two remainiing Milton famidly doctors providing obstetri- cal service stopped doing so after the chief of obstetrica in Oakville stated that it was unsafe to provide obstetrics service wp Milton without a fuli-time on-site obstetrician. This despite the fact that Milton provided superior obstetrical service for over 30 years without an obstetrician on site, and regardiesa of the fact that over 100 hospitals across Canada provide obstetrical services with leas back-up than Milton now currently possesses. I'd recommend that your readers should ask themselves these questions: 1. If safety in obstetrics was the issue, why did we lose not only obstetrica, but the 14 acute care beds on the obstetrica wards which were also used for gynecology, surgery and medical patients? 2. If it's difficuit to attract specialists to Milton due to its limnit- cd population base, why could a smaller Milton 10 years ago sup- port two obstetricians, when ib is now too amali to support even one? 3. Who is responsible for making Uic practice of medicine in Ontario so stresaful and unrewarding that many specialists, for example plastic surgeons and psychiatrists, spcnd so much of their time providing uninsured services for insurance companies, consulting agencies, and cash-paying customers, that they are unable to sec OHIP patients? Garnat Maley M.D. President, Haion Médical Society; Communications Chair, Section on General and FamIiy Practice Ontario, Médical Association; Director-Eiect, Ontario Medical Association I Cbef Dorenic tbanksyou ailfor thegreat success Valentine eek. Marna Dornenlc say, ume alussysfeed the adupits, so Feb. 25 & 26 te offer kidt 1-12 yrs. front bread-2: sanbutter (tbau nly)fresb9 ila 30d bu0 satte & mket olistfr Yes PS. Witb the beautfful custorners indness, Cbef Dommeic gets to send Marna Dornenic i dozen mose, stra<gbtfrorn Canada, Milton. Unti she passes auwy, enjoy the assai Friday SpKea $2 50 witbfresb bread and butter Dont w ait until the last minute. Book yourpecia2l occasion or F! I Diiw ie iiOcS!Isdf 87 '0 9 will flot be printedL Speclal bank. arrangements have been mode to offer this speclal finance package for a lmlted time only. 0.A.C. Hwy #7 Norval C»o (Just East of Wlnston Churchil BIvd> )1 1 (905) 702-1494 Z S Stili unsure about your RRSP this yearBoRedCF Thse deadline to make your 1998 contribution is ONLY A FEW DAYS away. WiII you take advantage of one of the few tax breaks available to you? An RRSP can bie tbe foundation for a comfortable and secure retirement. More important>', wili you make your own investment decisions? - and hope you made the right choice. Or will yoo seek the advice and counsel of a professional. planner? - someone who can advise you now on the alternatives and guide you towards a succesîful retirement plan. THIS IS NOT ABOUT THE FUTURE In this space over thse past several weeks I have discussed various strategies regarding RRSP inveîting. I hope thse information helped. Tbe topics included diversification, dollar-cost averaging, foreign content, borrowirsg for your con- tribuiton, market volatility; asset allocation and labor-sponsored fonda. If you mlssed any, please ask me for a reprint. IT'S ABOUT IMPROVING YOUR FUTURE And just in case you really did wait until the last minute - Did you know that rny office i.s equepped to protÀde you wfth an RSP loan, usuaily wtth instant approvol? And did you know that 1 arn now available for eeenmng and weekend appoint- mania untUl the end of February. Great adesce, great servwe and noo, great convenience too. thile DONALDSON- Bob Reid, CFP FINANCIAL GROUF Suite 101 - 310 Main Street East, Milton Ontario L9T 1N4 Volce 905-875-3366 fax 005-875-3574 e-mail reidbfifl.om hiVkESrMNToi CENTE I n Champion, Tuesday February 23, 1999 - 7 sus I I Gallinger Fordi Richardson Chev-OIds Georgetown Toyota Georgetown Volkswagen 55 ONTARIO ST. (905) 878-3900 Mon. - Fr1. 9:30-9:00 Set. 9:30-6:00 Sun. 12-5 1 a