For most of the goings-on that occupy our news there is a sad inevitability. We have lived on this planet long enough now to have learned a few things. Sadly predictable, boring at best.
I get a free copy of "Canada's Nation Newspaper" thrown on my desk where it rests briefly, more out of respect for the trees killed in its printing than the actual content of its pages. These days the front pages are filled with news of the American's. Sad that only the side-boob of an MP's girlfriend was able to curb the news of Hillary and Barack. Looking at the faces of the potential president one can't help but see the writing on the wall. All the would-a, could-a, should-a aside... isn't it in the cards that Obama will be the democratic candidate and Clinton will be his running mate? Enough said. Let's move on.
The truly sad predictability though for me is the news of the Cameron inquiry. Already a couple of inevitabilities have revealed themselves and more are to come. Already the cost of the inquiry has been argued against the need for the full and open disclosure of the inquiry. Already the CEOs, Government officials and higher management of the Health Care corporation are shrugging their shoulders and passing the buck.
Who couldn't see that coming a mile away?
There are a couple of things we can expect to see as this whole unfortunate story is told. There will be recommendations made to improve the procedures. These will come as a revelation and the cost of the inquiry will be justified based on these findings... But without a dollar spend we can already list them. They have been spoken repeatedly in frustration at countless management meetings by pathologists and specialists, they have remained largely unheard. They have been discovered across Canada in much the same way as we are discovering here. The Globe and Mail has recently written an article with the problems and solutions in Black and White, these are country-wide issues; overworked Pathologists and the like.
In the end isn't this truly what we need to get from this inquiry? How can we improve, how can we ensure it never happens again?
There is one more news story that will be as sure as the tides. This will come when the class-action lawsuit is settled and the ladies of our Newfoundland and Labrador who have been so traumatically affected by the events of this fiasco, finally get some compensation. The story will be how much money the inquiry has cost, how much the lawyers have made, how much money the class-action has made for the lawyer vs the compensation to the ladies involved. That story will be the most shocking. The lawyers will have made millions, the victims of this mayhem substantially less. In the Class Action Against Improper Sterilization in Labrador the victims get $450, their spouses $100, the lawyers $119,000. Where is the fairness? Then again maybe that story may be missed, the elite do have the greatest ways and means of self-preservation.
With respect to the amount of torment, physical health and mental anguish of the victims family and friends, there will be a pittance offered for their suffering. The bulk of the money will fatten the wallets of the Class-Action lawyers, the inquiry lawyers, CEOs and Upper Echelon of our society. The bit of productive information that will come out of the inquiry will be held as if it is an epiphany and the inquiry's expense will be held to be justifiable. Information that we know right now, at this point in time, without a dollar spend.
Look after these ladies, they should have no financial worries for the rest of their lives and they should sleep sound knowing the mistakes that were made with them will never happen again. That's where our money should be spend. Invest in health care not Jaguars for lawyers. In the days of President Obama and Vice-President Clinton we should have the best pathology processes in Canada, and the ladies who have ordealed this great tragedy can be content in knowing it was not in vain.
Note from NewfoundlandinCanada - The article mentions a story from the Globe and Mail:
The Globe and Mail June 3 2008. "Pathologists call on governments to remedy problems at overworked labs." Consider:
1. Governments need to invest funding to repair an ailing system.
2. Canada lacks a national quality assurance program.
3. Overworked laboratories lack the necessary tools to prevent potential quality-control nightmares.
4. Increasingly complex medical tests.
5. Growing demands for faster results.
6. Critical shortage of pathologists and lab workers.
7. Call for the creation of a national body that sets national standards and links existing accreditation programs across provinces.
These recommendations were free for the asking. Imagine if fees amounting to millions were actually put towards implementing some of these recommendations instead of being directed to St. John's generous population of lawyers.
http://www.chescrosbie.com/default.aspx?page=5
http://www.chescrosbie.com/default.aspx?page=25
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/newfoundland-labrador/story/2007/05/28/suit-certified.html
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/newfoundland-labrador/story/2006/10/19/cancer-suit.html
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