Dear editor,
It really saddens me to read about Dr. Alex Nataros, whose emergency privileges for Port Hardy Hospital and Lady Minto Hospital were suspended, simply by speaking out for safe work environments and the need for physician assistants, etc.
This is ironic, since the NDP is supposed to be the foremost champion of public health-care in Canada, and I supported the NDP for many decades.
For most of my life, moreover, I worked in healthcare planning, hospital quality assurance, and cardiovascular research in Alberta, so I appreciate the importance of good public policies and management. That’s why I find the action of Island Health disconcerting.
It’s heartening, though, that Dr. Nataros is starting a community health centre with his colleagues in Port Hardy: this is the form of health-care delivery the NDP should be supporting and the Green Party is now advocating. Since I moved to Courtenay, I switched my support to Green Party, as my concern for the environment has now outweighed that of social programs. I certainly didn’t anticipate that B.C. Green is also a better champion for social programs than their NDP counterpart!
Wei-Ching Chang,
Courtenay