PATIENT REGISTRY EMPTY PROMISES

Premier Dennis King has been quoted as saying (also a campaign promise) his party will eliminate the patient registry by the end of 2025 with all the new medical homes being built. Would a statement like this be considered a lie or simply an overambitious plan that can't possibly work? There are over 36,000 on our patient registry and many have been on that list for over seven years. What happens when 2025 passes and this doesn't happen? Will he and his party resign or lose their jobs?

Is there going to be an influx of doctors and specialists to work in these “homes” in less than two years? My understanding of the medical home is that you may not see a doctor when you visit and that the other professionals are tasked with assessing the most appropriate health-care professional the patient should be referred to. This creates another step in getting to the necessary professional to treat the patient. It also takes away the professionals who actually treat patients and creates shortages in private clinics that serve Islanders.

The administrative costs in setting up and running these homes and the cost of the professionals in the “homes” who only assess patients increases the cost of health-care and takes away from the budget an adequate wage to pay the professionals who do the treating. Let’s not forget that during this time we are also looking for doctors to complement a new medical school!

In closing, when do overzealous promises by politicians become lies?

Judy Barrett,

Charlottetown, P.E.I.