Letter: More funding not always the answer
By Letters to the editor
To The Editor:
More funding might help our seniors if they are in a publicly owned facility. A few more staff and maybe an extra therapist. But history shows that more funding has not improved the quality of care in “for profit” or even “non-profit” facilities.
The taxpayers shelled out more money in 2010 when the client rate was increased which according to the Health Minister, was to be used to increase staff levels.
Did that happen? No.
Most of that revenue was given to for profit who chose to make their stockholders happy rather than their residents. And dare I point out that for all their complaining, both for and non-profit still manage to come up with enough money to buy or build more facilities.
Now why would they do that if they were losing money in the business of buying seniors?
Will more money increase staff levels? Without restrictions on the use of public funding, no.
Will more money make an incompetent manager more diligent in oversight of their employees performance? No.
Will more money change the lack of enforcement of the regulations? No.
The current system of enforcement causes neglect because the most common penalty for non-compliance is no more than a written warning, over and over again.
The most effective way to ensure a better quality of care for our seniors is to restrict public funding and enforce compliance with fines and penalties.
And these are the two main factors that our government refuses to acknowledge.
Judy Galley, Sorrento, BC
