Dear Editor:
As a patient of Dr. Hosdil in Rockwood for 25 years and then a patient of Dr. Martin of the East Wellington Family Health Team since her retirement, it is quite a shock to learn, once again, that I am without a physician, along with roughly 2,399 other residents of our community.
I’ve been ill since 2007 and require fairly regular care as, I’m sure, are the others who have been cast adrift. It was absolutely disgusting to learn that this situation is being caused by a lack of government funding.
I am incredibly happy that Dr. Martin is able to retire and I wish him well. He’s been an asset to our community and a consummate professional whose knowledge, compassion and courtesy will be sorely missed.
Our services have been pared down slowly and steadily in Ontario to such a point that “Profit over People” should be the new Ontario government mantra. This province was seeded by rural residents and we should not be cast aside simply because we do not live in cities. I simply do not understand how our government can treat our doctors, nurses and the residents of Ontario with such a lack of regard and a lack of respect.
While I support – in part – the federal Conservative Party’s “Blue Seal” initiative to allow qualified practitioners from outside of Canada to practice here once they are thoroughly vetted, that is a bandage for our current health care crisis, not a cure.
To a layperson, both our provincial and federal governments seem to have their greedy little mitts in every aspect of our lives and enjoy taking profit from it whenever and wherever that is possible, but they aren’t returning the favour. Having spent the best years of my life working as a civil servant, I recognize that there are good and bad in all but I’m not necessarily talking about the people who work in government, I’m talking about those who make policy and those who are largely making policy work especially well for them.
Our tax dollars should more than cover the basic essential services. As our governments are making cuts everywhere, it is the people of Canada who are bleeding – and our governments are bleeding us dry!
As an aside, it has now been decades since we were promised wired-in internet that is still largely unavailable in many rural areas, including mine. Yet we are required to conduct all of our government business online, but I digress…
Sam Alexander,
Wellington North