Obama is about to find out* socialized health care’s dirty little secret. Nobody needs to be a doctor.
About 70,000 patient exams in Saskatchewan are being reviewed for possible errors after concerns were raised about the competency of a radiologist.
The review will look at all work done by Dr. L. Darius Tsatsi since he started plying his craft in Saskatchewan in 2004, health officials said Wednesday. It covers people who had X-rays, CT scans, mammography or ultrasound tests.
Most of the tests were done at Yorkton Regional Health Centre over the last five years, but a small number done in Prince Albert and Swift Current will also be reviewed. Tsatsi has worked in all three cities since moving to Saskatchewan from South Africa.”
Nobody needs to be a doctor.
And those who choose to, given the shortage of doctors about to come down, don’t need to be that competent.
Have they ever been really competent here in Canada, Amy P?
Who holds their feet to the fire?
How do the families of patients get justice?
Tsatsi’s incompetence would have to be severe and to have cost lives to have been noticed at all and for him to have been suspended.
Here in the okanagan, there are a lot of doctors/health practitioners from outside Canada.
I know of a lot of good doctors from South Africa, both white and black (one anyways), and we are really lucky we have them for the services they provide. Without them, we would be definitely worse off.
Wonder if we did not have such an exodus of Canadian doctors to US 10 to 15 years ago if the end balance would be the same. Now there will be no big incentive for Canadian doctors to leave 😉
This might end up being good for us.
Like crabs in a bucket.
Have they ever been really competent here in Canada, Amy P?
Wouldn’t know. I’m American, so we’re just getting to taste the glories of socialized medicine.
we’re just getting to taste the glories of socialized medicine.
~Amy P.
Well Amy P, you’re in for a treat./
Socialized medicine is by far the single largest budgetary expenditure of every level of government in Canada and your people are going to foot the cost of start-up implementation right at the beginning of the Great Recession.
Free skittles and unicorns for all!
Gee, I always thought the dirty little secret about socialized medicine was that a lot of people died waiting in lines to get access to medical care.
Now I know better 🙂
No Fred, the dirty little secret is that every time people complain about the waiting lists the politicians spend money to study how to cut the waiting lists, the study always concludes the solution is that the system needs more money, the politicians throw more money at it, and the money goes to pad the bank accounts of the Unionized workers associated with the medical industry.
That hasn’t been a secret for a long time, Fred.
I think that the current president will be finding a whole lot of issues to be out of his depth. This is the price you pay for hiring an Alinsky-trained “community organizer” to run America.
At best Akinsky-schooled community leaders were pay-rolled agitators. Paladins of chaos for hire who took their civil disruption techniques from Saul Alinsky’s handbook “Rules for Radicals” to frenzy local communities into mass hysteria over some flimsy social injustice grudge either real or fabricated.
It is a long step from being a professional agitator-complainer to the nation’s top problem solver offering effective solutions which please the majority.
So far I see BO stumbling in making that step. Obviously he has no worked out solutions at hand and relies on the community radicals inside his teleprompter for fast solutions and sketchy implementation. So far what the teleprompter oracle offers is calamitous economic policy, Laputan social placebos and official ideological pogroms – all of which defy the dynamics of reasoned lucid governing.
I wonder how long it will take the HRC to get involved , and deem that this Dr. , is in fact the real victim here
The dirty little secret is that it costs the government a lot of money to train doctors and when they graduate they can and do go where they make the most money and have the best working conditions. Rarely is this in a socialized medicine environment. Since extra funding for training more doctors does not show any results for a decade politicians are reluctant to do this as they only worry about the next election.
Another dirty little secret is that training both men and women to be doctors does not create the same future benefit. Women doctors tend to work much less over their careers as they put trivial little things like having kids, family, and quality of life ahead of working long hours, being on-call and taking hospital privileges. Hence we need to train more female doctors to get the same coverage as with male doctors.
…they can and do go where they make the most money and have the best working conditions…
Perhaps Obama will be helping Canada to retain more Canadian trained doctors.
I can’t wait until we adopt the poorly performing medical system from the good ole USA…oh wait… nobody, except the well heeled and entrenched corporate interests, not even most Americans, wants that system… never mind.
There are alot of problems concerning our healthcare. You can’t say its just this or the other. Everything just seems to stack on top of the other. Combined that with the drain by hyphenated Canadians , and the fact that our politicians tend to put “special intrest” groups first. It’s all about the vote
Read this again:
“Nobody needs to be a doctor.”
People who are smart enough to get through medical school are smart enough to do other things.
There are alot of problems concerning our healthcare. You can’t say its just this or the other. Everything just seems to stack on top of the other. Combined that with the drain by hyphenated Canadians , and the fact that our politicians tend to put “special intrest” groups first. It’s all about the vote
“Combined that with the drain by hyphenated Canadians , and the fact that our politicians tend to put “special intrest” groups first.”
Any proof of this or are these the typical rantings of a SDA racist?
I think doctors are all indiviuals–some are good–some are not so good–some are not good at all!!
All doctors who enter a Canadian province and intend on practicing have to pass an exam. If that province passes the Doc–he or she should be competent. I believe the same rule applies in most free countries, even in the USA.
An American doctor would have to write an exam if she or he wanted to practice at say, The Mayo Clinic. Correct me if I’m wrong!
In any event, I’d guess that any Canadian government that tries to mess with medicare will find itself defeated very quickly! That I know for a fact!!
My nephew is an airline pilot in the USA, his wife is an accountant. Both are joggers, healthy, non smokers non drinkers. He is 33 she is 32, they have two healthy kids. He was on probation for a year, they now have medical coverage from the airline. However their insurance costs, prior to this month, were $750.00 per month!! You want to live in the USA? Go ahead, make my day!!
Jack Frosst, you did not finish.
What are Canadians paying for our Health Care rationing system?
“My nephew is an airline pilot in the USA, his wife is an accountant. Both are joggers, healthy, non smokers non drinkers. He is 33 she is 32, they have two healthy kids. He was on probation for a year, they now have medical coverage from the airline. However their insurance costs, prior to this month, were $750.00 per month!! You want to live in the USA? Go ahead, make my day!!”
A good point.
However, how much of your taxes, per month, go to medical care in Canada? If it is more than $750 per month, why not go with a US system?
Then the other point is quality. Universal medical care is one size fits all.
I would prefer to have my $750 per month in taxes (or whatever it is) back so that I could purchase the type/amount of medical care that is best for me and my family.
My parents were English-speaking, Commonwealth educated individuals (teacher/nurse- both now retired) who, when trying to enter the Canadian workforce, were told that despite their licenses and years of experience, they weren’t good enough to work in Canada. My father often had to wait for someone qualified to test him (to see if he was up to Canadian snuff) and my mother had to correct Canadian nurses’ mistakes on my brothers (she’s still appalled by the filth and indifference in Canadian hospitals).
If any old experience will do, why not take the qualifications, experience AND dedication of two people whose training and experience is akin to what one might receive in Canada? Was someone afraid they would get more bang for their buck?
I am not arguing that anyone should be given a pass, just those whose qualifications and experience are above question.
Actually, this doctor was allowed to practice in his specialty prior to passing his board exams. They give foreign doctors three tries to pass them within a set period of time, and he was about to run out of time …
PS: A radioligist is not a doctor! I won’t say that a doctor cannot become a radiologist or vice versa, however most radiologists are technicians! Check out SIAST (web site and search “radiology.”
And for those who believe that USA doctors don’t make mistakes, go to Google and enter: “How do I sue my medical doctor in the USA” Bettter yet, check out the famous court case known as “Fantasy V Reality.”
In 2006, per-capita spending for health care in the U.S. was US$6,714; in Canada, US$3,678.[5] The U.S. spent 15.3% of GDP on health care in that year; Canada spent 10.0%. The health statistics also favour the Canadian system.
I’m sorry what is your argument against our system again? Oh that’s right, exceptionable systemic failures. If you keep ignoring the unexceptional American heath care failures, your assertions seem cogent.
Jack Frosst,
I concur with Mberridge said.
Everytime you talk about private health care, people panic and exclaim quite loudly about the costs of health insurance, cost of a good doctor etc, etc.
What most people fail to realize is how much of a money sink our system is, and how much money would be saved by leaving the current system and giving people the freedom of choice.
In the end it’s all about freedom.
Oh, and history has proven that socialized medical care doesn’t work, use google, I’m too lazy and busy to get a link.
Avaia said: “I wonder how long it will take the HRC to get involved , and deem that this Dr. , is in fact the real victim here”
I wondered about that as well. I was unable to find a connection (via Google) to Afrikaans, the language/ethnicity of many doctors from South Africa who seem to use Saskatchewan as a gateway into the broader Canadian health care system.
South African doctors emigrating to Canada appear to be a problem for South Africa (see this CMAJ article from 2001 – http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/content/full/164/3/387 ). Based on my experience with three of them in BC who started out in Sask it may be a problem for Canada as well. OTOH I may have just had a run of bad luck.
Jack
My Mom’s a GP here in Canada. She’d have specialized if not for the two kids she was raising while she went through Med School (try that one…)
She graduated top 10% of her class at UofT.
She has wished for some time she was a Vet instead. She likes animals…
The dirtiest secret is that most GP’s in Canada are poorly paid gatekeepers put in place to keep the specialists in check so governments can “keep the lid on costs”.
Ontario governments run by three different parties had the same answer when asked to increase funding for more medical student places at universities. NO! NO! NO! They also had the same answer for qualified students who offered to pay all costs involved in their own education plus plus. NO! NO! NO!
Well, Joe, I have projected numbers for 2008.
Per capita spending is expected to be over $5,000 CAD.
These are TAX dollars.
Jack Frosst’s example of insurance costs were around 200 per capita per month. (2400 per year)
Even in Canadian money, its not close.
How much is spent by Canadians who go to the U.S. for medical care?
Numbers dont mean anything unless the whole picture is examined.
Wait until Americans get introduced to “wait times/lists”
Interesting times.
“Oh, and history has proven that socialized medical care doesn’t work, use google, I’m too lazy and busy to get a link.”
Exactly which facts do you object to, the superior heath indices of the Canadian system or the cost advantage?
Standards in the rural parts of the province tend to be a little more ‘forgiving’. It becomes a matter of having no doctor or one that has yet to pass full accreditation. That doesn’t mean they are all bad just that your chances aren’t as good in remote areas. The same is true to an extent in the US. If you have basic credentials and want to work on a Reserve in Nevada or in the Appalachians you have a lot better chance than practicing in Phoenix or Richmond.
“Socialized medicine is by far the single largest budgetary expenditure of every level of government in Canada and your people are going to foot the cost of start-up implementation right at the beginning of the Great Recession.”
Sorry to burst your bubble Oz, but the facts get in the way of your little fantasy world. From wikipedia:
“The U.S. spent 15.3% of GDP on health care in that year; Canada spent 10.0%. In 2006, 70% of health care spending in Canada was financed by government, versus 46% in the United States. Total government spending per capita in the U.S. on health care was 23% higher than Canadian government spending, and U.S. government expenditure on health care was just under 83% of total Canadian spending (public and private).”
So without socialized medicine, the U.S. already funds 46% of health care in the U.S…not only that, but per capita spending is much higher. Whether that equates higher quality care is up for grabs…though another quote from that same wikipedia page quotes a study that says:
“A peer-reviewed comparison study of health care access in the two countries published in 2006 concluded that U.S. residents are one third less likely to have a regular medical doctor, one fourth more likely to have unmet health care needs, and are more than twice as likely to forgo needed medicines.”
Gee whiz, when can I get my non-socialized medical plan? I just can’t wait!
First Dr. Charles Smith and now this guy?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Randal_Smith
What kind of background, history checks are they doing in Sask hospitals, and doesn’t the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan have a better system for monitoring these cracks?
Lee, you just embarrassed yourself with your numbers.
You asserted nothing that undermines the essential fact that the Canadian system is more economical and performs better in the aggregate.
Good luck though, apparently Rich from Alberta has some compelling Google data he can provide, if he finds the time.
“In 2006, per-capita spending for health care in the U.S. was US$6,714; in Canada, US$3,678.[5] The U.S. spent 15.3% of GDP on health care in that year; Canada spent 10.0%. The health statistics also favour the Canadian system.
I’m sorry what is your argument against our system again? Oh that’s right, exceptionable systemic failures. If you keep ignoring the unexceptional American heath care failures, your assertions seem cogent.”
Again, good points (if true). However, I would have to see the total cost/benefit to judge. There are harder to qualify factors such as quality and access. How do you rate wait times and the human cost of the pain/lower quality of life of waiting 2 years for a hip replacement? How is that factored into your numbers?
It’s a complicated issue that cannot be summed up so easily.
Perhaps I am typical of SDA readers and cannot get past my own biases, but I would prefer more choice to less. I think it promotes competition, keeps people/organizations more honest, and allows me to find the best medical coverage fit for my family.
“… the Canadian system is more economical and performs better in the aggregate”
Oh, absolutely. Unless you really get sick, and need to see a specialist. Or require an ER. Or need a family doctor in Ontario. Or don’t mind interminable waiting for elective surgery. Or…
If you think a state-run monopoly is a better watchdog on budget spending than private companies, why, I’d love to sell you some real estate, sometime. Cheap, honest!!
Governments can’t fix the canuck health problem because governments are the problem.
mhb23re
at gmail d0t calm
I’ll concede that the American system is superior for those of means. However, both systems ration their resources, the American system by means, the Canadian system by need. This then becomes essentially an ideological dispute. Which system of rationing is more equitable?
Leftards:
The US has no waiting lists for anyone with insurance or the ability to pay. The best care money can buy is expensive.
A single large US city has more MRI’s than Canada. That’s due to the higher expenditure. Here in Canada, we have waiting lists full of people the government hopes die before they get care. That would get any HMO in the US sued out of existence.
The US system is better than ours for 70% of the population. Both middle/upper income (who get the best care in the world) and the poor (which are covered by medicare.)
Only the lower-middle class is hard done by.
Like all leftards, you compare figures which are not comparable to make a point which isn’t relevant.
Compare the money spent by government on the people covered by government.
Private care is illegal outside of Quebec (who seem to be able to get away with what other provinces can’t.) So, obvious to non-leftards, if people were able to pay for better care here instead of going to the states, the numbers would look much different. The lower cost of care here is due to less care here – not better care.
Oh, and most of the people in the US who are not covered are only without coverage for short periods between jobs or they are young healthy people who decide they don’t want to pay for coverage.
“Oh, absolutely. Unless you really get sick, and need to see a specialist. Or require an ER. Or need a family doctor in Ontario. Or don’t mind interminable waiting for elective surgery. Or…”
are poor, lose your job, your insurer drops you, or your HMO rejects your treatment…oops, that’s the superior American system.
Get off your high horse mhb. Health care is a cost-plus business, meaning that at the first sign of trouble, a doctor could set you up for a full battery of tests knowing that his practice will profit as a result.
Canadians live an average of 2 years longer than Americans, and have better infant mortality rates. The wait time differential between Canada and the U.S. can be explained by the amount of money we spend on our system. From that same wikipedia article:
“Canadians also experience waits for medical emergency and specialist services, although there are high numbers of people waiting under both the U.S. and Canadian systems. Studies by the Commonwealth Fund found that 24% of Canadians waited 4 hours or more in the emergency room, vs. 12% in the U.S.; 57% waited 4 weeks or more to see a specialist, vs. 23% in the U.S.”
So it appears that in terms of delivery of service, we wait about twice as long for our services. This does not often affect real emergency treatments…as I said, our life expectancy is higher. So, we could increase our health care expenditures by 50% so that we can spend 15% of our GDP on health care like the U.S. does…all for shorter wait times? The fact remains that Canada allocates health care resources more efficiently than the U.S.
The politicians who grind on about two-tier health care and queue jumping are the ones who aren’t affected by it. Ever hear of a politician who didn’t get immediate attention for their ailments?
I want ever dime back.
All that money spent on something I DON’T WANT.
If I want insurance I’ll go buy it, if I don’t how dare you make me buy it anyway. Get the point yet leftards?
Yeah, you’re not part of society. Oh wait, unfortunately you are
How many doctors evacuated Quebec years ago when stuff started coming down on them from the hallowed halls of red tape?
joebaloni what an apropos name. I’m a member of this socialist hell hole because the scumbag turdoh lied to use and turned our great free country into this. YUK.
Kate, while I completely support private health care, this has little to do with the overarching type of health care system. America has these issues as well. Also my doctor is from South Africa and he is a damned good one.
bar_jebus
You ever consider the US’s penchant for killing each other may have more to do with their life expectancy? Or the poor eating habits?
Oh, and we’re catching up on obesity and poor eating habits so I’m gonna guess we’ll look more like them soon rather than the other way around.
But stats are a fun way to not understand things. They are also a fun way to lie. Studies by agenda driven agencies are not credible. Funny how leftards would discount anything done by Exxon but believe without question anything some foundation with an agenda told you.
We also don’t get access to new technologies and drugs anywhere near as fast as the US because the government doesn’t want to pay for it.
joebaloni
I repeat: the poor are covered by Medicare. It’s the lower middle class which is often left out.
Question for you halfwits:
Would you consider the sytem used by Europe and the vast majority of the civilized world?
“What are Canadians paying for our Health Care rationing system?”
Last I heard, our “free” system cost every person in this country $3200 per year or $266 per month; for a family of four, that’s $1066.
A few months ago, the head of the Calgary Health region was on the radio and he said that it cost every Calgarian “just” $7 or 8 per day. At either rate, that’s over $10,000 per year for a family of four.
Say anything you want about our system, free it ain’t.
Our free healthcare is doubly misnamed – it isn’t free and health doesn’t need care.
No wonder our health care is cheaper. I’ve had a skin condition on my freaking face for five months and I have to wait three more before I can see a dermatologist.
I can see the same doctor at the same clinic next week if I wanted cosmetic surgery. But, because I have a real medical need, I had to see a GP who gave me a referral to get on a list to get an appointment.
It’s got to the point where I’m considering heading to Minnesota or North Dakota and paying out of pocket so I’m not embarrassed to go out in public.
It’s a great system — to keep costs down, refuse to see patients. You have no other avenues to explore.
Being a Canadian who has been living in the US for several years now I can attest to the straight-up fact that the healthcare system down here is superior to Canada’s.
-Access is fantastic. It takes minutes to find any doctor and book any appointment.
-Surgery and visit wait times are minimal(hours or a few days).
-Hospitals are modern and have the latest and greatest equipment.
-The majority of people have health insurance(those that don’t are rich enough to pay cash or go thru one of the many gov. medical programs available).
-Health insurance (company or privately sponsored) is just not that expensive.
-The really cool part is that you pick your coverage levels much like auto-insurance. If you want a higher deductable, no optical, etc to save money, go for it. Currently I pay an out-of-pocket $50/year deductable and $10 co-pay on all drugs, this certainly does not break the bank.
-Also, you should ask yourself this question: Would you rather have a doctor operate on you who performs 10-20 operations/procedures a year(Canadian or third world doctor) or a doc who does a 200+ operations/procedures a year(US doctor).
And one last point towards this blog post: The issue is not ‘ideological’, Canada’s system is malfunctioning exponentially, and any reasonably-minded person can see this. So those that scream that the ‘US system is worse!’ I suggest you take your head out of the sand, take a good look at works down here and other countries, and change what you’ve got.