Dear editor,
B. Funk’s letter (Dec. 30 – One hospital right decision) was spot on. For the many reasons outlined in that letter, one well-equipped regional hospital centrally located to both the Comox Valley and Campbell River communities is the only logical and fiscally responsible option. And it provides the best overall health care for our communities.
So why is VIHA moving forward with two separate hospitals? Because most of us (me included) have sat back and let it happen. We’ve listened to the rhetoric from the special interest groups, rolled our eyes, shaken our heads – and done nothing. We’ve sat on our hands when we should have picked up the phone, taken pen to paper, or fired up the computer. In short, we’re being railroaded and it’s our own fault.
I can’t speak for others, but in the two years that the hospital issue has been under discussion, I have yet to talk with anyone who supports the two-hospital option. To a person, everyone I’ve spoken with recognizes that one regional hospital will provide a better-equipped facility with a wider range of specialists. That’s not to say the two-hospital supporters aren’t out there; I just haven’t come across any.
Not surprisingly, no one I’ve talked with looks forward to driving to Nanaimo, Victoria or Vancouver for treatment or to visit specialists. Yet that’s happening on a daily basis for residents from the Comox Valley to Port Hardy. And it’s my understanding that’s not likely to stop under the two-hospital plan.
No reasonable person will argue that a centrally located regional hospital is the most convenient for all parties. It isn’t. Those living near the current hospitals will have to add a few minutes to their travel time. But isn’t it worth having a well-equipped hospital with an expanded range of specialists available without having to travel even further for treatment? Many patients trying to work within the current health-care framework already know those frustrations!
It’s a no-brainer to me, and I’m hoping all those who agree and have been silent up to now will make their opinions known. Send your comments to the Right Honourable Premier Christy Clark, Honourable BC Minister of Health Michael de Jong, local MLA Don McRae and the Vancouver Island Health Authority. Let’s finally be heard.
A. Carpenter
Comox Valley
