To the Editor,
About a month ago, our urgent care clinic in Parksville was attended by only one doctor. No other doctors were available. In other words, without his attendance, the facility would have had to close.
Many of the patients entering this facility were from out of town because of closures in other parts of Vancouver Island, including Ladysmith and Campbell River.
Shortly after that, an X-ray clinic in Nanaimo had to close because one staff member failed to come to work.
I would hazard a guess that this shortness of people is due to staff fatigue due to being so short-staffed. I’m sure that everyone is aware of what’s been happening to our medical system, and much has been blamed on COVID-19. However, I think COVID only exacerbated the problem, because we had been short of medical professionals for several years prior to the pandemic.
Of late, I’ve noticed that care for the elderly is diminishing at an alarming rate, as evidenced by many of our friends and neighbours having to aid those in their 80s and 90s who cannot care for themselves. The same can be attributed to the homeless.
This is evidenced by the lack of facilities for the elderly, the homeless and our youth, who can ill afford the high cost of accommodation.
Perhaps the high compensation we are paying to too many of our Canadian executives should be re-examined, because too many are receiving exorbitant wages for questionable results.
The rich are becoming richer with each passing year, while the poor are getting poorer and poorer, and cannot afford essentials.
Yes, we are helping other countries, but are we punishing ourselves as a result?
Ron Gobeil,
Parksville