By Darah Hansen, Vancouver SunAugust 18, 2009
Vancouver Sun file
VANCOUVER — Vancouver patients needing neurosurgery, treatment for vascular diseases and other medically necessary procedures can expect to wait longer for care, NDP health critic Adrian Dix said Monday.
Dix said a Vancouver Coastal Health Authority document shows it is considering chopping more than 6,000 surgeries in an effort to make up for a dramatic budgetary shortfall that could reach $200 million.
“This hasn’t been announced by the health authority … but these cuts are coming,†Dix said, citing figures gleaned from a leaked executive summary of “proposed VCH surgical reductions.â€
The health authority confirmed the document is genuine, but said it represents ideas only.
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Vancouver Coastal performed 67,000 surgeries last year, an increase of 6,500 surgeries over 2007.
“What has now happened is that now our wait times are about 25 per cent lower than the provincial average,†D’Angelo said. “We have put a dent in that wait list.â€
Brodie acknowledged surgical waiting times have dropped significantly in recent years, particularly for patients needing hip and joint replacements.
http://www.vancouversun.com/story_print.html?id=1878506&sponsorI missed it when the democrats explained about "wait lists" for surgery in socialized medicine.
Having lived my entire life in our 37th best medical system, I know nothing about "wait lists" for surgery.
I think the democrats should explain the "wait lists" in the U.K, Kazakhstan, Canada, Uzbekistan, Cuba, Serbia, and the other places they think
have better systems than America.
They want to force us to use that system, so they should explain to Americans what the "wait lists" are, because
I don't think very many Americans are even aware they exist.