Editor:
Re: “Doctors frustrated by lack of progress,” Letters, July 14.
No one can dispute that the shortage of long-term care beds on the Sunshine Coast has worsened the crisis in acute care. What Dr. Petzold fails to acknowledge is that the proposed Silverstone facility would do little to relieve either of these problems, while causing irreparable harm to our community.
Silverstone would provide less than 20 per cent of the additional long-term care beds needed to meet projected growth. In other words, privatization would only marginally reduce the chronic shortage of acute care beds, but at an enormous social and economic cost.
If the VCH-Trellis deal goes ahead, the 100-plus workers at Shorncliffe and Totem Lodge will lose their jobs. Those rehired will face significant wage and benefit cuts and almost certainly not have a pension plan. In the long term, this represents a loss of millions of dollars to a local economy already facing major challenges.
Privatization also poses numerous threats to the quality of patient care. A large body of research – some B.C. based – shows that in general private facilities deliver poorer health outcomes than public ones. As well, the deleterious effects of subcontracting and contract flipping are well documented. Trellis has subcontracted all services at other centres and recently sold its facilities in Penticton and Prince George. Why invite such practices here when we already have the benefits of stable public ownership?
Sechelt District council has rightly put the Silverstone application aside for further study. It’s regrettable that Petzold continues to lobby for this ill-conceived proposal rather than a more viable public option. We invite Dr. Petzold and his colleagues to join us in defending public health care on the Sunshine Coast.
Ian McLatchie, Davis Bay, Protect Public Health Care, S.C.
