I’ve often said that best thing that could happen for both Saskatchewan highways and health care is for the Premier to have a heart attack 80 miles from Regina. Or, as my brother points out – until every hospital patient were required to survive 2 hours on a vibrating gurney before receiving treatment, there is no such thing as “equal access” to health care in this province.
Today’s Great Moment In Socialism;
A critically ill man who needs a life-saving heart transplant was forced to travel 12 hours in an ambulance to Edmonton because no planes were available, the Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region said yesterday. On Feb. 3, a Regina man was loaded on the health region’s advanced life-support vehicle, which can transport up to 16 patients at one time.
Along with the patient were a perfusionist, respiratory therapist, surgeon, nurse and two paramedics, along with high- tech medical equipment. Twelve hours and 900 km later, the man arrived in Edmonton, where he was still waiting for a transplant yesterday.
Glen Perchie, executive director of emergency services for the health region, said they had to use the ambulance because there were no airplanes available when the patient had to be transported. Perchie added that the health region explored “every option available” with Saskatchewan Health and with other provinces.
Well, every option outside of asking if there was a plane in Edmonton that could come get him.
However, Leslie Beard, vice-president of public affairs for Edmonton’s Capital Health region, said planes are usually available.
“The bottom line is that if Regina or anyone else out there … do not have an aircraft in their community, what they do is phone (the equivalent to Alberta’s provincial flight co-ordination centre) … and we have reciprocal agreements in place, we immediately send out planes,” Beard said yesterday.
The medical team shrugged off the long bus ride.
I’m sure they did. Maybe next time they can all make the trip without being paid for travel time, and we’ll see how long the laisser faire attitude lasts.
Perchie said the patient was kept alive by the Extracorporeal Life Support machine, which is used when the heart can’t pump blood through a patient’s body. The patient’s blood goes through the pump, which transfers it to a machine which adds oxygen to it and then the blood goes back into the patient’s body.
Perchie said this is the first time the region used its vehicle to transport a patient needing a heart transplant outside the city.
No doubt. Usually they just warehouse critically ill patients in filthy wards and ignore them until they die.
I have a sister who has totally bought into the socialist “dream” – but the champagne variety, natch – and now seems to have a crush on dear old “not quite dead enough” Tommy Douglas.
Seems sis watched George Strombolopolopolopolopolopo ….lis present the Tomster as a “radical” and actually wrote down all his (oh this is funny!) “accomplishments,” which were recited back to me on my last visit.
She started off with a bunch of things to which I calmly stated my disdain, but then I had to completely stop her when she got to some nonsense about Uncle Tommy legislating indoor plumbing
Maybe there�s an odd bit of truth to this or maybe she completely misunderstood what George Alphabits was saying, but leave it to a socialist to believe that no one would think on their own to find an alternative to an ass frozen to a toilet seat until some government weasel legislated it.
Next time I see her, I’m going to suggest she mount old Tommy’s picture on the wall and refer to him as Dear Leader.
Hmmm… kinda makes the argument.. Private health care is better then no helath care.
wait a sec… Regina, that’s the Capital isn’t it, they don’t have planes? … or is there a toll at the airport?
Socialism has fucked up everything else so why do these leftist morons who run this country think it won’t (or hasn’t) fucked up health care.
Welcome to Canada, where everyone is entitled to the same declining health care- unless you are a politician or know someone.
OT Kate -Gwynne Dyer is now out of the Islamofascist closet. Daimnation has the story:
From Dyer’s new book:
“The United States needs to lose the war in Iraq as soon as possible. Even more urgently, the whole world needs the United States to lose the war in Iraq. What is at stake now is the way we run the world for the next generation or more, and really bad things will happen if we get it wrong.”
Here’s my comment:
Yeah sure, liberating 50 million people is going to bring nothing but grief. This is the NEW LEFT. Down is up, white is black, good is evil, and – in the case of Dyer- nuts is sane.
Mr. Bomber Jacket has been on the other side for a long time. He’s not only nuts, he’s a liar.
A couple of years back I heard Dyer on CBC claiming that when Saddam gassed the Kurds he thought he was gassing the Iranians. I’m glad the delusional Dyer is finally out of the closet.
That won’t stop those leftist morons at the CBC from putting him on air every chance they get.
I CAN’T WAIT TO READ MARK STEYN’S TAKE ON THIS.
Hi Terry
I guess I have a few qibbles about Tommy’s legacy too but no need to put Gwynne Dyer on his plate.
But…but…We don’t want American style health care! I once had the following conversation with a Liberal.
Me-I read a letter to the editor about this guy who liked the British health care system. It combines private and public delivery. Why don’t people ever talk about things like this? Maybe we could learn from this model?
Lib-We don’t want an american style health care system.
Me-Who said anything about America? I’m talking about Britain.
Lib-We don’t want an American style health care system.
Mention the words private and health in the same sentence and their brains goes on auto shut off.
Soup wrote:
“Mention the words private and health in the same sentence and their brains goes on auto shut off.”
Actually, Soup, it’s more fun explaining to them that Canada already has a 4- or 5-tiered health care system and watching their heads explode.
I’m always amazed when you hear Americans talk about health care their bogeyman is always Canada as in:
“We don’t want a Canadian health care system!”
What is probably needed is a North American health care system combining the best from both countries. It would be fun to start talking about that and watch Jack Layton’s head explode.
Go to the Spectator and read the article http://www.spectator.co.uk/ making a comparison between the British and American health care systems. Very interesting and scary!!!!
Interesting article. Also interesting is that 88% of (presumably) Brits agreed with it.