Letter: To your health: Which system would you pick?

I’ve just returned from Canada where the H1N1 vaccine is now available to anyone who wishes it.

On Oct. 22, the minister of health and two physicians participated in a nationwide press conference (in English and French) that lasted at least half an hour.

They elucidated their current knowledge of the virus and its manifestations, most vulnerable age groups, and the nature, quality and manufacturing processes of the vaccine concluding with the Canadian government’s decision to release and distribute it immediately.

They also admitted that it would have been helpful to have the vaccine earlier.

This morning I called my doctor’s office in Prescott to schedule a shot, only to discover that they don’t know when the H1N1 vaccine will be available.

So, I ask, is the Canadian universal single player health care system one we need fear like the plague, or do we recognize how fractured and dysfunctional our system is and seek guidance from other nations that are succeeding in meeting the needs of their people far better than we?

Tags: letters to editor, health care reform, opinion