Zach LarkinsDIALYSIS
While the wife and I were on vacation, I picked up a newspaper to find out just how much we were out of touch with the rest of the world. Flipping through the pages of The Sudbury Star, I came across an article that made my blood boil.
I am not on dialysis, nor do I know anyone who is. But I do know it is rather a big deal for those who have to undergo this treatment and depend on it for their lives. From what I gather, dialysis cleans your blood when your kidneys fail. Some people, apparently, can get away with daily dialysis while others may need to undergo it two or three times a day. Bottom line is, if you don't get dialysis, you are going to die.
Most people go to a hospital to undergo this procedure. This involves a car trip or paying a taxi or getting on a bus to arrive at your appointed place and time. The procedure normally takes a few hours to complete.
Here in Ontario, our wait times at hospitals are growing daily due to some brilliant thinking by a former NDP government that cut back on the number of doctors we graduate out of university. This resulted in more work for nurses and technicians and they simply can't keep up with the demands of our aging population.
Some genius (and I mean this with respect) figured out that if they could cut down on the time people spent getting dialysis, the nurses and technicians would be free to look after other duties. So he devised a machine that allows dialysis patients to perform the task on their own, in their own homes. It is not for everyone, granted, but for those who aren't too far gone yet, if that's the proper phrase. They could hook themselves up at night and have the treatment while they slept. I don't know if I could actually sleep through something like that, but it sounds like a good idea.
Everyone agrees this method of administering dialysis is kinder and gentler to the system and in that vein (no pun intended) we have all sorts of these machines available to those who need them here in southern Ontario. Toronto, Kingston, London and hell, even in Chatham you can find them. I'm not sure about Windsor as Toronto's Queens Park has decided the province ends at London and to go further west, well, here be dragons. Sudbury is about four hours north of Toronto. Apparently the province ends someplace before you reach it.
Our Health Minister, Kommondant Smitherman, he of the infamous anti-smoking law, once again decided to flex his gay muscles and is denying the people of Sudbury the chance to get these machines. Smitherman is known in the intellectual circles as an asshole. I don't know why he's so pissed off at the people up there. He is still able to marry his boyfriend so he should be happy as a lark. And as Health Minister, he should be looking at ways to cut the health budget. Here's a clue, Smitherman! One way is to let the people have the machines. It keeps them out of your hospitals which results in a savings.
October 10 can't come soon enough. That's the day we get to turf these guys.
I am not on dialysis, nor do I know anyone who is. But I do know it is rather a big deal for those who have to undergo this treatment and depend on it for their lives. From what I gather, dialysis cleans your blood when your kidneys fail. Some people, apparently, can get away with daily dialysis while others may need to undergo it two or three times a day. Bottom line is, if you don't get dialysis, you are going to die.
Most people go to a hospital to undergo this procedure. This involves a car trip or paying a taxi or getting on a bus to arrive at your appointed place and time. The procedure normally takes a few hours to complete.
Here in Ontario, our wait times at hospitals are growing daily due to some brilliant thinking by a former NDP government that cut back on the number of doctors we graduate out of university. This resulted in more work for nurses and technicians and they simply can't keep up with the demands of our aging population.
Some genius (and I mean this with respect) figured out that if they could cut down on the time people spent getting dialysis, the nurses and technicians would be free to look after other duties. So he devised a machine that allows dialysis patients to perform the task on their own, in their own homes. It is not for everyone, granted, but for those who aren't too far gone yet, if that's the proper phrase. They could hook themselves up at night and have the treatment while they slept. I don't know if I could actually sleep through something like that, but it sounds like a good idea.
Everyone agrees this method of administering dialysis is kinder and gentler to the system and in that vein (no pun intended) we have all sorts of these machines available to those who need them here in southern Ontario. Toronto, Kingston, London and hell, even in Chatham you can find them. I'm not sure about Windsor as Toronto's Queens Park has decided the province ends at London and to go further west, well, here be dragons. Sudbury is about four hours north of Toronto. Apparently the province ends someplace before you reach it.
Our Health Minister, Kommondant Smitherman, he of the infamous anti-smoking law, once again decided to flex his gay muscles and is denying the people of Sudbury the chance to get these machines. Smitherman is known in the intellectual circles as an asshole. I don't know why he's so pissed off at the people up there. He is still able to marry his boyfriend so he should be happy as a lark. And as Health Minister, he should be looking at ways to cut the health budget. Here's a clue, Smitherman! One way is to let the people have the machines. It keeps them out of your hospitals which results in a savings.
October 10 can't come soon enough. That's the day we get to turf these guys.
it's pretty much the same down here buddy, although healtcare here in the States is a bigger joke than it appears to be up where you are!
If you go to one doctor with a hangnail, he goes "Hmm, ummm..." and tells you that you need to go to this other doctor and have him look at it cause he's the hangnail specialist...
So you go there and he goes, "Hmmmm, ummmm..." and sends you off to have 50 million tests while he sits around barking orders at the medical staff..
When the results come back, he goes, "Hmmm...uhhuh...mmmm" and tell you it's not something he handles even though he's a specialist...
So he sends you off to see someone else...
I'm telling ya buddy, it's a three ring circus as far as healthcare goes, and I don't see why that stupid man would want to with hold vital treatment for people who actually need it!
What an ass...Trounce him good on October 3rd my friend, trounce him good!
Great post!
Take care,
Nick
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I am working on a blog about Moore's film 'Sicko'. It's a bit tough to do as I haven't seen the movie, only read about it. Can I come to you for some background info as I need it? Thanks.