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LETTER: Reader shares ideas for improving health services

'Either declare nurses and similar professions essential services and treat these like police and fire services or negotiate compensation and working conditions on a fair basis,' says letter writer
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BarrieToday welcomes letters to the editor at [email protected]. Please include your full name, daytime phone number and address (for verification of authorship, not publication).
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Recent discussions with six neighbours and relatives who had recent contact with the medical profession turned up one satisfied family and five unsatisfied people.

Six cases is too small a sample to prove statistically anything but it does show there is dissatisfaction with the overall medical service in Orillia and further out. There is little gained to debate how we got to this state of affairs. It is more productive to work towards improvement. To that end, here is a plan.

Stop reorganizations, which only create an “illusion of forward motion” with little benefit.

Increase income tax on people earning over $40,000 a year and put the money in health services.

Increase the openings for doctor education through university and residency to increase the number of doctors, with priority to family doctors.

Either declare nurses and similar professions essential services and treat these like police and fire services or negotiate compensation and working conditions on a fair basis.

Revamp some doctor compensation rules for doctors working in a fee-for-service system with the aim to reduce inefficiencies.

Increase payments to long-term care services.

Konrad Brenner
Ramara Township

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