EDITORIAL: Health care balancing act
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When Health Minister Kevin Falcon returns from overseas, the honeymoon will be over, in more ways than one.
Falcon has been in England and France for the past couple of weeks on his honeymoon since getting married in late July.
He’s been unavailable for comment since local health authorities started announcing budget cuts to avert major deficits–$130- to $160 million for Fraser Health alone.
Patient care and services will be cut by $15 million. The number of elective surgeries will be reduced.
Funding to community agencies providing services for seniors is being hacked. MRI scans have been capped to last year’s levels. Temporary residential care beds will be closed.
All this, despite Fraser Health receiving a 2.7-per-cent, or $51-million, budget increase.
That’s because costs are rising more quickly.
Wage increases for nurses, doctors, and other health facility staff. Price hikes for medications, supplies and services. And the need to expand facilities to meet growing demand from more people and an aging population.
Health care now makes up 45 per cent of the overall provincial budget and all indications are its climb will continue.
Left unchecked, it will eventually gobble up all the revenue Victoria has in its coffers.
So what’s a government to do?
It appears what’s needed is a major overhaul of the medical system whose universal care principle remains so near and dear to our hearts.
Perhaps we need to re-examine the types of services taxpayers fund to figure out what we need most. Or embark on an aggressive campaign of education and prevention to help keep people from getting sick in the first place.
It’s quite a balancing act, treading that fine line between quality health care and budget catastrophe.
Let’s hope Falcon is up to the challenge.
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