More Medical System Interesting Note....

In a little update to THIS POST, I was wandering around various Blogging Tories blogs when I saw a post from RightChik that points to a Thursday article in the National Post. What does the article speak of? Well gee - certain groups of people being allowed to pay for MRIs privately and therefore getting to 'jump the queue', apparently using some cancellation spots, but also receiving 'after hours' scans. In my last post, a commenter stated that we have limited resources and therefore people must wait, just as they have to wait to get their winter tires put on because there are limited places to go. Hmmm,,, well it seems as though some people (such as athletes and Workers' Comp cases) are able to get after hours care if they pony up the cash, so why aren't us regular folk?


I have an issue with a statement in the article referring to Workers' Comp cases because it is deemed that they receive scans sooner because the idea is getting them back to work sooner, after they have been injured ON the job. Well what if I am injured on the way home from work? Yes I might receive an MRI in emergency, but what about after that? How long could I be out of work and possibly relying on Disability, before I get a followup MRI to check out the healing/damage? Should I not be helped along to get back to work sooner just because some bad driver smacked into me on the way home and I was not injured AT work? That excuse/reason makes no sense to me. Everyone should at least have a chance at this. As it happens, I probably wouldn't be able to afford the couple grand to get an MRI 'after hours', but maybe I would be able to save up, or get some family help, or even a nice little 'Get Kez An MRI' donation jar at work lol. Who knows. But what I DO know is that because I am not an athlete or Workers' Comp case, I am not allowed to even try. What is fair about that?

And since it appears various radiology clinics will work after hours when paid privately, or via Workers' Comp funds, then there really is NOT a shortage or limitation on medical resources such as this, eh? My coworker waited from Feb one year to August for an MRI on her back and in the meantime had to cut her hours down and take potent pain killers to carry her over til she could get the scan. Her husband would have gladly forked out the cash for her to get a scan sooner, even if it meant eating KD for months on end. But no, she was not special enough to get an MRI any faster than 6 months. It appears that only a few of us are special enough. How does that make you feel?

The article states that the Sask Roughrider football team pays for the player's MRI as well as two other people's MRIs (I suppose it's like a donation to the health care services in Sask), and that they use about 6 MRIs a year on avg. Okay so that means they pay for about 12 other people's MRIs instead of having to dip into the provincial coffer for the cash. How many more people could be paid for each year if they opened up this opportunity for everyone? And if 'after hours' spaces were opened, would that not bump people UP the queue who were unable to fund an MRI themselves? Maybe they would end up having hundreds of MRIs paid for privately each year and save the province thousands.. and maybe it could be extended to other things such as CT scans, minor surgery, major surgery, etc. It does not mean the 'rich' would receive care well before the poor - it would mean that the system could be sped up and that is better for everyone! If I was given a 6 month waiting period and was off work in the meantime, but some rich people came along and paid for weekend scans, and I got bumped up by 2-3 months, I would be happy about that instead of bitching that some rich people got their's first. I don't understand why so many people complain about this. It could also mean more funding for better more modern equipment - or OMG money for MORE MRI machinery and technicians. Holy crap what a terrible idea eh?