Dear Editor:
It is 1972 on the day that the Progressive Conservatives announced the beginning of OHIP. I am walking up University Avenue in Toronto, with a group of fellow employees and they were discussing the OHIP announcement. I turned to the group and said we are “screwed;” OHIP and our health care system in Ontario will be going downhill. And guess what – it has. I am writing this letter to remind Ontarians of what has happened over the years.
Because of my current health issues, OHIP will not pay for what I need instead of a knee replacement. I do not medically qualify for a knee replacement because of my medical problem (I would not recover from the replacement as I have degenerative muscle disease). The procedure I need is not pharmaceutically orientated, so I would have to pay for the procedure.
Recently I was in a hospital for an X-ray and while waiting I had a conversation with an elderly lady sitting next to me, who was waiting for her husband, who was having an X-ray. During our conversation we talked about how OHIP had gone downhill and we were suffering. She worked in a hospital and was the manager in the administration office. She told me that each time the Progressive Conservatives where elected, they took money away from their budgets and care for patients. This confirmed what I had thought had taken place for years.
It is time for a change; I think we all should vote for the Green Party and shake everything up. I’m sure they would get our healthcare system going in a positive direction for the people in Ontario.
David Emery,
Arthur