Hey PMS, what about the waiting lists?

So what was supposed to happen to the "wait times guarantee"? The Hamilton Spectator reports today that despite a massive expansion of the city's cancer clinic a couple of years ago wait times have actually increased, especially for women electing to have surgery for breast cancer. In fact, from mammogram to mastectomy or breast augmentation the wait is now six months. The recommended guideline is four weeks, before the cancer has a chance to spread.

No doubt this news will be a comfort to those who believe that illnesses are "the will of God." Wrong. Cancer is not the will of God. It's a test, to be sure, but I don't think God wants women dead before their time is really up any more than for us dudes. This also raises major questions about where all the money being "invested" into health care is really going. Reading the lists of those physicians who also have teaching jobs or administrative positions at hospitals or universities and make more than $100,000 a year on top of their non-disclosed piecework rates for services rendered to patients and paid by the public health care system, one wonders how much is being wasted.

Yes, we need the brightest and the best, especially when it comes to cancer. But we need front-line staff who can keep the clinics running 24/7 if need be to clear up the backlogs. We hear announcements about so many spaces being opened at medical schools, but what about laboratory technologists? Radiologists? And where are all the nurses that were supposed to be hired? When my dad recently got out of intensive care and into a regular unit at the hospital, the shortage of nurses was more than obvious; as a result my father probably was in chronic longer than he should have been.

God forbid I should get cancer, Mr. Prime Minister, but if by some weird chance I do (and the odds are about 1 in 3) I probably won't even bother to wait on the Hamilton clinic. I'm going to tell my doctor to fly me to where there is room -- even if it's over the border. After all, you "guaranteed" you'd pay for it, didn't you -- Steve???

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