Honest dialogue key to fixing health care

Re: Health care in Ontario among most expensive, Lorrie Goldstein, Feb. 14

Reading Mr. Goldstein’s account on this issue echoes my thoughts exactly. It’s a subject close to home and heart.

It also gave me a glimmer of hope that someone actually put voice to it, as I surely felt very much alone, having advocated for years for change.

I dare hope that this is the first ripples of the storm surge, yet wondered why no others got on board to tell Dr. Eric Hoskins, minister of health, and Premier Kathleen Wynne that health care is broke needs urgent care.

Yet sadly the government doesn’t get it and just like their predecessors, Dalton McGuinty and Deb Matthews, allow it in their ignorance and incompetence.

The creation of the LHINs some 10 years ago was the most ill-conceived. It was a nightmare. The left hand certainly did not know what the right hand was doing, and it was allowed to fumble on its own without much oversight or accountability. And still, all this time later, nobody can tell the minister the LHINs’ value.

One has to ask: When will the government get its head out of the sand and admit it has a huge problem? Mainly itself.

No amount of money will fix this or any other mismanaged situation. What is needed is a good dose of reality. Throw the door open to honest dialogue with all involved. Invite physicians, Rns, RPNs, PSWs and management – the so-called front line, or boots on the ground – to have open, honest and respectful discussions. Lay the groundwork to restructure health-care.

A realistic approach in which each and every one of us needs to take stewardship. The bleeding needs to stop – no repeat of E-health or Ornge.

We need a realistic approach if we want a publicly funded system that we can afford. No one person has the magic solution.

We need to stop the finger-pointing and egos need to be checked. Respectfully and united, a sustainable system can be possible and all can take pride. Ingrid Buck Fairbairn St.