Prevention is the answer

Posted on January 18, 2008 in Health Debates

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TheStar.com – comment/letter – Prevention is the answer
January 18, 2008

Clogged wait lists hit economy hard: Doctor – Jan. 16

As a dedicated registered nurse who’s passionate about the right of each Canadian citizen to health-care delivery based on their needs, not their pocketbook, I find it very difficult to buy into Dr. Brian Day’s assumption that having more private health measures will improve wait times and our economy.

Addressing wait lists and times takes a comprehensive approach. Health Canada believes prevention and health promotion can hold down health costs and improve quality of life in the long term.

We must stop focusing our health dollars and energy on acute episodes of disease with doctors as the gatekeepers. Our economy must be flexible enough to plan for restructured health delivery in which interprofessional teams partner with their patients and emphasize health promotion and healthier lifestyles.

We need tools of technology, such as electronic health records, that will decrease redundancy and facilitate a continuum of care from community to acute episodic events in hospitals and back into the community.

Hilda Swirsky, Toronto

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