In my last column, I outlined the role of Connected Communities (CC), a network of health advocacy groups from Trail, Nelson, Castlegar, Kaslo, New Denver, Slocan Valley and Nakusp. Its mandate is to see that the five principles of the Canada Health Act are upheld – that health care in Canada should be universally available and accessible, portable, comprehensive and publicly administered.
Connected Communities’ goal is to inform the public when changes made to health care are perceived as contrary to the intent of the Canada Health Act and adversely affect their health and welfare.
A thorough and well-documented report based on Connected Communities’ observations of changes in health care services in the West Kootenays covering the period from 2002 – 2010, has been prepared and is being publicly distributed. What follows in this column, is an abbreviated summary of the issues of primary concern which includes Connected Communities’ findings that the well-being of West Kootenay residents who experience chronic health issues, are decidedly at risk.
According to this report, changes to health care services and delivery since 2002 have led to both the centralization and the reductions in health care services or options, which in turn penalize the patient in a variety of ways.
Examples include the addition of costly expansions to hospital facilities whilst basic health care services are being cut back. The lowering of standards of health care services in addition to the downloading of costs onto the shoulders of patients along with the creeping privatization of services which were previously publicly subsidized is viewed as unacceptable.
Further to this, CC reports that the deliberate ignoring of input representing community health care issues stemming from stakeholders (including patients, families, community groups, nurses, doctors, etc.) is of deep concern.
There are burgeoning costs associated with Interior Health Authority’s administration as it constantly implements new organizational structures and additional levels of supervision. What is needed are front line workers – not more bureaucrats.
Where services have been downgraded or removed, adequate supports for patients and their families have not been put in place to ensure residents can still access health care services, which have been moved to a larger centre.
Of greatest concern are the loss of acute care beds in a number of hospital settings and information leading to accessing financial assistance where necessary.
Transportation difficulties have routinely resulted in patients’ arriving for their appointments only to discover that they have been cancelled or changed without prior patient notification.
In the case of several West Kootenay communities, there were cutbacks in the realm of Home and Community Care. Community Care nurses have been asked to “defer” clients because they cannot see patients in a timely fashion.
In June, 2010 the palliative care social worker position was eliminated at Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital. This service entailed sourcing specialized information, education and training for patients and their families as well as hospice volunteers on issues dealing with the sensitive subject of death and dying.
Of particular concern to the rural population, are the development of expensive resources located within urban areas, whilst cutting basic services to small communities.
Multi-million dollar capital projects currently underway in Kelowna are designed, for example, to build cancer and heart treatment centres. The purchase of high tech equipment, computer programs and video technology to improve patient and doctor access to highly specialized care is very much appreciated and necessary, both for rural and urban patients alike.
It is hard to justify, however, that these very expensive projects are being funded whilst at the same time, the most basic medical services within our small communities are being severely cut: one should not be done at the expense of the other.
The next column will focus on the subject of financial hardships to patients and families, related to the downloading of costs onto patients and the creeping privatization of health-related services.