Dr. Brian Postl, the Federal Advisor on Wait Times in an interview with Maclean's;
Geddes: Under the September 2004 accord, the provinces are supposed to deliver by Dec. 31 benchmarks for how quickly patients should get procedures in five priority areas, from cancer care to MRI scans. Is that going to happen?Postl: I think what's really coming at the end of December is a starting point for benchmarks... more importantly, what will come is discussion around how you build through research, through evidence, a stronger connection to what benchmarks really are. How do you build the evidence that supports huge expenditures, which is what we're talking about? How do you build processes that improve the way the system mitigates waits? I think the whole concept of information systems will be discussed -- that you can't do any of this until you build a system that tells you where people are on the wait lists. So that's what's coming Dec. 31. I don't think it's going to be a complete and extensive catalogue of benchmarks in these five areas.
Ooops. Apparently that didn't come out right.
21:54 EDT Monday, October 10, 2005 STATEMENT BY DR. BRIAN POSTLOTTAWA, Oct. 10 /CNW Telbec/ - "Contrary to a story running on the CP Newswire today, I have every reason to believe that there will be evidence based benchmarks in the priority areas as provided for in the September 2004 First Ministers' Agreement on Health, in time for the December 31, 2005 deadline as set out in the Agreement. There is no doubt in my mind that there is both the capacity and the evidence needed to do so. I believe that the benchmarks we are working toward will be based on entirely sound medical science.
What I did say was that while the First Ministers' Agreement did acknowledge the need for national standards, it also acknowledged the need for some flexibility while achieving that comparability."
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I understood that Quebec is to set it's own wait times from the rest of the provinces. Am I right?
Posted by: Peter Benyk at October 14, 2005 6:04 PMOver a year and they haven't figured out what the word 'benchmarks' means? It is their word--does this mean that the spin is getting to them too? Wonder if they have a dictionary
Posted by: George at October 14, 2005 6:30 PMSo the one significant practical measure that was supposed to come from PM Martin's epochal health care deal with the provinces, just over a year ago, is essentially down the tubes.
Will the media comment on this aspect?
Fat lot of good giving the provinces the $41 million over ten years. What's the deal worth: cash and nothing else. Promises are meaningless.
"Ottawa wants the provinces to publish lists within the next two years that tell Canadians the average wait time for certain procedures. The premiers had been reluctant to agree, with some provincial health officials saying it would be almost impossible to publish scientifically reliable lists.
But Martin appears to have wrung that concession from the premiers."
http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2004/09/16/healthdeal040916.html
Some wringing, some necks.
See also from Angry in the Great White North: "Canadian Health Care: Wondering how long it'll take us to die":
http://blog.mu.nu/cgi/splorp.cgi?entry_id=126268
Mark
Ottawa
These medical profession morons are so full of it, it keeps coming out their mouths. Too bad we can't use the words they speak to fertilize fields on the prairies, it'd be bumpercrops all around.
Daryl
Posted by: Daryl at October 14, 2005 8:56 PMCover your eyes if your easily offended I don't like to swear but this guy just goes to far.
Ok what that Postl guy said is pure Bullshit. He talks like every liberal politician I have ever listened to, and it's pure crap he said nothing made excuses waffled lied denied changed obfuticated.
What a load of Bullshit.
Oh by the way it's really good to have you back Kate. Missed you. You are really better than any one else at this stuff and your absence just went to prove that
Posted by: Jeff Cosford at October 14, 2005 9:35 PMjust get out and vote and we can crush the governing pigs
Posted by: kelly at October 15, 2005 12:31 AMKelly, Just getting out to vote is not enough. We have to recognize that we have a responsibility to not only encourage others to vote, but to suggest voting CPC for this next term at least.
After operation clean-up, *true* Liberal Canadians can evaluate how much honesty exists in a new weeded out, Liberal Party and then vote on those findings.
It is in the best interest of Liberal minded Canadians to vote CPC, at least this time so that repairs can be made to a badly damaged Canadian government. There is no doubt that honest Liberal minded Canadians exist.
They want the shame of Chretien & Martinite disgraces removed from Canada as much as we do.TG
Posted by: TonyGuitar at October 15, 2005 1:36 AMJust remeber who was Finance Minister when massive cuts to health tranfers were made in the 90's, Paul Martin! No cuts were made to Lie-beral slush funds, you know, the grants for anything useless and of no value to taxpayer's programs.
Posted by: Bruce Randall at October 15, 2005 10:43 AMSometimes things do work out nicely, though:
http://www.urbanrefugee.ca/content/161
Posted by: Sean at October 15, 2005 1:14 PMThe Free Press was so wounded by the story breaking under their noses, they suddenly prepared an editorial about wait lists for Saturday's paper. But it didn't mention Dr. Postl or discuss his responsibility for the 30 month wait for hip replacement surgery in Manitoba.
At least they are dropping blowhard Adler who from what I hear cost them a thousand subscribers.
Posted by: Bob at October 16, 2005 1:14 AM