Hospitals are a joke, where is all the Alberta money going???

[RougeUnderoos]

I've had to deal with health care issues for an oldster lately and it is just brutal.

The medical staff has been excellent, the infrastructure just isn't there. I groused a bit about the situation to a doctor not so long ago and he said "you are right, we've been asking for that (a seniors facility on the south side of town) for 10 years and we don't get anywhere. It is a crime that in this province with all this wealth bla bla bla...". They also mentioned the phenomenal waste in "administration".

I enjoyed a 12 hour wait in the ER in April and I happened to mention how long we'd been there to a nurse and she said had a clearly standard (and believable) answer: "we don't have enough room".

To make a short story long, the staff does all they can and they do it well, but they are underfunded. Or at least, the funds don't get to where they would do the most good.

[Nehkara]

Originally Posted by Dion

Since you are in health care maybe you can answer this question for me. I drove into Calgary from High River yesterday to see my specialist and to discuss the results of the blood tests he requested. I arrived at my appointment to have him tell me that the lab didn't do half of tests he requested. Now i have to get more done resulting in another trip to Calgary.

Are mistakes like this a result of staff shortages and the pressures of having too much to do?

Thanks

All joking aside, the answer is yes.

The number of errors cropping up in my office has increased greatly since we went from a fully qualified and excellent staff of 15 to a fully qualified and excellent staff of 8. We do our best but it isn't always possible to do the same job with about half the staff.

We are also seeing a HUGE increase in the number of errors made by X-ray, MRI, CT, Ultrasound technologists because they are plain and simply too busy to do their job as well as they could before. They do the best they can with their resources but the difference is obvious from our end.

[Nehkara]

Originally Posted by RougeUnderoos

I've had to deal with health care issues for an oldster lately and it is just brutal.

The medical staff has been excellent, the infrastructure just isn't there. I groused a bit about the situation to a doctor not so long ago and he said "you are right, we've been asking for that (a seniors facility on the south side of town) for 10 years and we don't get anywhere. It is a crime that in this province with all this wealth bla bla bla...". They also mentioned the phenomenal waste in "administration".

I enjoyed a 12 hour wait in the ER in April and I happened to mention how long we'd been there to a nurse and she said had a clearly standard (and believable) answer: "we don't have enough room".

To make a short story long, the staff does all they can and they do it well, but they are underfunded. Or at least, the funds don't get to where they would do the most good.

It is very clear from within the health region that it is top heavy. The amount of administration and management is just enormous. They need to cut down on the money spent on meaningless and redundant administration.

[NuclearFart]

Working from the inside, I've been asking the same question in the title for years.

For years all I read about in the newspapers is budget surplus in the billions....but yet not alot has changed above normally expected change; at least not even close to what I would have guessed with all the perceived money floating around. Where is it going?

[Nehkara]

Originally Posted by NuclearFart

Working from the inside, I've been asking the same question in the title for years.

For years all I read about in the newspapers is budget surplus in the billions....but yet not alot has changed above normally expected change; at least not even close to what I would have guessed with all the perceived money floating around. Where is it going?

I know many people will beat me for even mentioning this but there is $17 billion in the Heritage Fund...

[Dion]

Originally Posted by Nehkara

All joking aside, the answer is yes.

The number of errors cropping up in my office has increased greatly since we went from a fully qualified and excellent staff of 15 to a fully qualified and excellent staff of 8. We do our best but it isn't always possible to do the same job with about half the staff.

We are also seeing a HUGE increase in the number of errors made by X-ray, MRI, CT, Ultrasound technologists because they are plain and simply too busy to do their job as well as they could before. They do the best they can with their resources but the difference is obvious from our end.

Thanks for the explanation.

Just curious though, is the staffing problem due to budget restraints or simply being unable to hire/train enough staff to do the job?

[Slava]

All I have to say is that we have had 37 years of Conservative Rule here in Alberta and this is the result. I don't think that its a coincidence that the US economy is in ruins after 8 years of the Republicans either...

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by Slava

All I have to say is that we have had 37 years of Conservative Rule here in Alberta and this is the result. I don't think that its a coincidence that the US economy is in ruins after 8 years of the Republicans either...

Funny, last I heard the Alberta economy was ridiculously strong. I guess 37 years of Conservative rule hasn't been a bad thing.

Oddly enough, the Canadian economy has not suffered the way the American economy has. Must be the Liberal government we have... oh, wait, nope. Conservatives.

Oh, I'm sorry. I let facts get in the way of a good Conservative bashing session. How damned inconsiderate of me.

[BavarianHorde]

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

Funny, last I heard the Alberta economy was ridiculously strong. I guess 37 years of Conservative rule hasn't been a bad thing.

Oddly enough, the Canadian economy has not suffered the way the American economy has. Must be the Liberal government we have... oh, wait, nope. Conservatives.

Oh, I'm sorry. I let facts get in the way of a good Conservative bashing session. How damned inconsiderate of me.

Be thankful you are not in parts of BC. There are some hospitals that close because they don't have one doctor.

When the Fed's look at the west, they look at Alberta. Forget BC. Our economy here is hooped, and our health care needs help too. But you don't hear anything about that.

I am sorry about your grandmother, that is harsh, no matter where you live.

[Nancy]

I have to say... we had to take our daughter to the Children's Hospital this summer and the system worked brilliantly and quickly.

Both of our birthing experiences and PLC and Rockyview were great... one thing that makes a difference is opting for the special private rooms that they offer for a fee.

Unfortunately, I know that some of the other hospitals are a joke when it comes to the ER. The groundwork for this mess was laid in the early '90s when Calgary looked like a city of 700,000 that was going nowhere.

[4X4]

Originally Posted by Slava

All I have to say is that we have had 37 years of Conservative Rule here in Alberta and this is the result. I don't think that its a coincidence that the US economy is in ruins after 8 years of the Republicans either...

Oh puhleeese.... Take this garbage to an election thread. Such a classically useless association made by a left winger. To compare two totally different things because they have similar names. I can't believe there are people that are so head-up-assed.




As for THE TOPIC AT HAND...

Alberta's health care is pathetic. I've been without a doctor since my family doc retired 10 years ago. Walk in clinics take hours. Emergency care takes hours (that Vince Motta story from a few years ago comes to mind)... It's pathetic that in a province as wealthy as ours, there are stories like H&L's.

Nuclear_fart, can you shed light on the new clinic downtown? Sheldon somethingorother center

sorry, I have done that thing again where my punctuation screws up so now I have to finish this post without certain punctuation.

Is that place an emergency room

I did not see it listed in nehkaras post. What is the deal with that place

[Slava]

I think that health care is an election issue, no?

Besides the fact is that the whole thread ahead of my comment talks about Klein blowing up the General hospital! if my comment was the only one then I could see your point, but seriously I was late to the party here!

[Slava]

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

Funny, last I heard the Alberta economy was ridiculously strong. I guess 37 years of Conservative rule hasn't been a bad thing.

Oddly enough, the Canadian economy has not suffered the way the American economy has. Must be the Liberal government we have... oh, wait, nope. Conservatives.

Oh, I'm sorry. I let facts get in the way of a good Conservative bashing session. How damned inconsiderate of me.

The Canadian economy out east is suffering. If we didn't have the resources here in Alberta we would be suffering as well. There have been hundreds of thousands of manufacturing jobs lost in Ontario and Quebec.

[flamey_mcflame]

Health care can not be solved using trational methods. It already takes up a huge portion of our budget. And privatized health care is no better. There is only one solution. Remove all expensive personnel and lets start looking into machines and technology for solutions. Unionized health wqorkers make alot more money then more efficient robots. This country isn't getting any younger and thats gonna make things a lot worse, sooner than later. Nurses making a 100,000 dollars a year. Good grief.

[Jayems]

I blame drug users, homeless people and others for their flagrant abuse of the hospital system. One guy cost the system over $1 million in just 1 year. Anyone who works knows the name....[edit]. Think they finally just shipped him off.

So while you're sitting there waiting for 9+ hours, know that a huge chunk of the beds are taken because someone huffed paint for the 3rd time that day and is making his 2nd hospital visit (via ambulance) of the day. Think they'll pay a penny?

But what else can you do? Can't refuse them treatment.

edit: maybe i'll leave his name out of this.

[4X4]

Originally Posted by Slava

I think that health care is an election issue, no?

Besides the fact is that the whole thread ahead of my comment talks about Klein blowing up the General hospital! if my comment was the only one then I could see your point, but seriously I was late to the party here!

Sorry, I had a well thought out response to your post, but I got totally distracted by the stupid punctuation thing on Vista.

Anyway, you're talking about provincial politics. Then you're comparing it to federal politics in the states, and the entire economy to boot, then bringing it back to provincial politics. You're trying to paint the alberta conservatives with GWB's brush. That's bullcrap.
In case you haven't noticed, the economy in Alberta is alive and well. Not anything close to the situation south opf the border. So why the comparison?
Don't worry, I know the answer to my rhetorical question. I know exactly why you'd make such a comparison.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by 4X4

Sorry, I had a well thought out response to your post, but I got totally distracted by the stupid punctuation thing on Vista.

Anyway, you're talking about provincial politics. Then you're comparing it to federal politics in the states, and the entire economy to boot, then bringing it back to provincial politics. You're trying to paint the alberta conservatives with GWB's brush. That's bullcrap.
In case you haven't noticed, the economy in Alberta is alive and well. Not anything close to the situation south opf the border. So why the comparison?
Don't worry, I know the answer to my rhetorical question. I know exactly why you'd make such a comparison.

I'll take back the comment about the economy because you're right it doesn't belong in this thread. I still stand by the fact that the Conservatives have been in power for 37 years though and we have no one to blame for this mess other than them.

In a province where money is plentiful and obviously people are concerned about this issue there is simply no excuse. You can consider that a politically motivated shot if you want to...I could care less. But the fact is that its really about priorities and its obvious to me that the priority has not been health care in Alberta and continues in this vein with the current administration.

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by flamey_mcflame

Health care can not be solved using trational methods. It already takes up a huge portion of our budget. And privatized health care is no better. There is only one solution. Remove all expensive personnel and lets start looking into machines and technology for solutions. Unionized health wqorkers make alot more money then more efficient robots. This country isn't getting any younger and thats gonna make things a lot worse, sooner than later. Nurses making a 100,000 dollars a year. Good grief.

So I guess I welcome our robotic medical droid overlords?

[RougeUnderoos]

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

Funny, last I heard the Alberta economy was ridiculously strong. I guess 37 years of Conservative rule hasn't been a bad thing.

1. The economy is ridiculously strong.
2. The health care system is ridiculously weak.

This is the problem.

[4X4]

Originally Posted by Slava

I'll take back the comment about the economy because you're right it doesn't belong in this thread. I still stand by the fact that the Conservatives have been in power for 37 years though and we have no one to blame for this mess other than them.

In a province where money is plentiful and obviously people are concerned about this issue there is simply no excuse. You can consider that a politically motivated shot if you want to...I could care less. But the fact is that its really about priorities and its obvious to me that the priority has not been health care in Alberta and continues in this vein with the current administration.

Now there's a comment I can agree with. It's true. We lie in the bed we made by repeatedly electing landslide conservative majorities. That desperately needs to change. Dave Taylor, as much as his voice sounds like sandpaper in my ears, needs to win the leadership race for the provincial Libs, and we, the people, need to even out the amount of power any party has in this province.

In fact, I'd like to see a Liberal minority in Alberta next time around (don't tell my folks... They'll disown me). Just to get things back on track as far as social programs are concerned.

Hopefully the price of oil hangs around the $100 mark for a while and the people around here have a rude awakening as to how volatile a commodity our source of "wealth" is, and we start electing people with ideas instead of encouraging the status quo endlessly.

Surplusses are great until we find ourselves in the situation we're in right now. It's pathetic. 10 hours in emergency room is not an uncommon story around these parts. Hate to sound de-sensitized to H&L's individual story, but I am. And that really needs to be addressed.

Hopefully good leadership from the opposition on the next go around spearheads this. Sadly, the opposition has been preaching this all along, but we albertans have ignored it because we hate the federal liberals so much. So sad.


FTR, excuse my use of the word 'we'. But it's mostly true.