Commonwealth Games

It's Back!!!
Fresh from conquering South African football stadiums, the Vuvuzela (pitched in almost Bb) has been unleashed on New Delhi. Loved by some and despised by others, the vuvuzela was a constant topic of conversation in South Africa. While the local football fans embraced the atmosphere it helped create at games across the country, many overseas broadcasters and viewers complained that the drone disrupted the enjoyment of watching games on television. Because of the sounds that emanated from the World Cup, several Premier League clubs and even the All England Club at Wimbledon banned vuvuzelas from their venues. UEFA has also banned them from European football competition and the Rugby World Union has banned them from their event in New Zealand 2011. The debate however has not deterred Commonwealth Games organisers in the Indian capital, where 50,000 vuvuzelas were imported from China for the event. The sound of the Vuvuzela though may not be the biggest problem, especially if the games continue to under-achieve.
Crumbling infrastructure, blown construction deadlines and the increasingly delusional and desperate rants of the Delhi organising committee have dominated headlines and spared Commonwealth Games Officials from confronting questions regarding their competition's future beyond Glasgow in 2014. The unfolding drama of Delhi's chaotic preparation for the Commonwealth Games has served to distract from a broader sporting issue: the relevance of the Games themselves. The failure of leading athletes to attend, poor ticket sales and tepid interest from global television subscribers have called into question whether the Commonwealth Games have become an antiquated, outdated notion. The competition formerly known as the British Empire Games has proved capable of moving with the times in the past, but never before in such a competitive sporting environment. The rise of sports-dedicated pay and digital networks has provided the likes of athletics and cycling exposure they have never previously enjoyed and, in the process, robbed the Commonwealth Games of its former exclusivity. Delhi's organisational woes and structural collapses might draw a morbidly curious viewership in lieu of the sporting audience lost with the withdrawals of Usain Bolt and Asafa Powell but it does give the opportunity for other sports and leisure activities to take front stage. After all, when was the last time Lawn Bowling took prime television time?

With what is fast becomeing a ‘B’ list line-up of athletes it might well be that the most entertaining thing about the 2010 Commonwealth Games is in fact that monotone note produced from the Lepatata (that’s the Tswana name). Or perhaps India had foresight, and brought in those 50,000 Vuvuzelas from China to use them as they were traditionally used. To summon distant villagers to attend community gatherings – in this case – the 2010 Commonwealth Games!

And that's - "As I See It!"

Damaged, Broken or Waiting for ...?

After first-hand experience, and being allowed to sit and wallow in the bowels of the Ontario Health Care system it has become patiently obvious (excuse the pun) that we have a damaged health system. After having had surgery on my arm cancelled TWICE ……. I was third time lucky and successfully had surgery 11 weeks and 4 days after the first cancellation. At this point I must congratulate the entire surgical team upon the excellent and efficient work they did that day. The surgeon and his team did a wonderful job and are true artists – Thank You. However, back to my story and what originally got my goat! Why was the original surgery cancelled? The first time was because the hospital had double-booked the anesthesiologist and, as no-one can be in two places at once, that meant that one of the surgeons had to lose the coin toss. The losing surgeon – was my surgeon. His whole day, which included my surgery, was cancelled because of hospital administration ineptitude! The second time the surgery was cancelled – no-one is really sure why as the version from the nursing staff differs from the surgeon’s office and, I have a feeling, both would differ from the REAL reason. It takes a little sniffing but eventually it becomes apparent that at the root of most surgery cancellations (not all - as emergencies do happen) is not the surgical team, not the nursing staff, not even emergency trauma – but Hospital Administration. Paper pushing, business management, civil servant like icons with a huge amount of self-preservation and salary benefits! It tells a story when hospital parking lots have more spaces reserved for the administrators than for the health care providers!!!

Surgery cancellation is one thing but then – when the operation is done, one has to go back for check-ups. This is when another scenario raises it’s ugly head and becomes a renal attentive dragon to be dealt with. WAITING!!!

You are given a time to be at the hospital, and, after checking in you sit, you wallow, you grow a beard and celebrate a birthday. If you are lucky you will be seen for your appointment 2 – 3 hours after arriving at the time designated to you. Sound familiar? Why the long wait at hospitals – not the emergency – but the scheduled appointments for re-checks etc…? This is an area where one would expect the administrators to excel (it sounds like an organizational thing). However here, in their area of expertise, they fail miserably! How on earth can they be expected to master the intricacies of surgical tactics and surgery allocations when they cannot plan a simple re-check appointment? Alas and alack, the alarm bells begin to sound as one realizes just how far the admin syndrome has spread. It has moved beyond hospitals and into the family doctors offices as well. Here you will find the front desk constantly being manned (and womaned) by Snotty, Overbearing, Attitude Retentive personnel who act as if you are an inconvenience interrupting their peace and quiet while and then proceed to talk down to the patients. The patients who are there because they have a health problem, but also without whom, all of the before-mentioned administrators would be out of a job. The same process of appointment scheduling that has proved so successful in the hospitals has been implemented in the Family Doctor’s surgery (although they have not yet moved to the major league as one will only wait about 30-45 mins past the due time here). In my opinion we need an overhaul - where the Health professionals (Surgeons, Doctors, Nurses) run the system, not the bureaucratic, paper-pushing inmates! It is a situation like this when I remember a quote by Sir Winston Churchill, “If you are going through Hell – Keep on going.” Let us keep going, and fix the problems.

Q. Who develops and implements hospital procedures?
A. Administration, not those involved in delivering the health care.

Q. Who knows about what is needed and the best way to provide a caring service?
A. Certainly Not Administration!

Solution:
Why do we not try and involve those who actually know what is required – the surgeons and the nurses. They are the health care providers yet it seems no-one in the decision making process (overrun with Administrators) listens to them and their ideas. We should help and allow the professionals to do their jobs. Administration should stick to paper pushing, writing cheques and taking out the rubbish. Not getting involved in an area where they have no training and definitely no idea!
Yes – there are definitely things mal-functioning in the Ontario Health Care System. I have not yet started to talk about other aspects of the system that I have noticed since living at the hospital waiting for my appointments. e.g. In a country of Health Care – Why do patients have to pay for items of health providing necessity - like basic casts, splints etc…? Certainly, pay for deluxe versions, but the basic needed care should be OHIP! If you break an arm or a leg is it not necessary to have a cast? Necessary medical aid should ALL be covered.
Why are dentists not under OHIP? Are they too, not a part of HEALTH CARE? Here is section that is raping the system and driving up insurance and health benefits across the country. Pay a fair salary for the work done, but not the extravagant fees being issued from Dentist offices.

The sad part is that the health system is actually full of responsible, caring, attentive, excellent members (Surgeons, Nurses, Emergency response teams etc..). The infrastructure is certainly damaged and needs repaired. However, like my arm (which was also damaged and needed repair) the work to fix the system will probably be cancelled a few times before the Provincial and Federal Govt’s get off their “elite” backsides and actually do something positive to help it recover. What is happening here is more a direct result of political mismanagement and deliberate ignoring of the situation that has been repeatedly brought to their attention by the professionals in the business. I for one – am not impressed and we need to take back our HealthCare and start fixing the infrastructure one step at a time – immediately!

I have been told that I am TOO passionate about the situation. So, should I sit back meekly, bend over, and recieve an O.H.I.P. enema??? OF COURSE I am passionate about this – it has happened to me. However I am talking not only for myself, but for the many hundreds that this has also happened to. The SILENT, patient masses who suffer in silence and allow this travesty to continue. I say – NO MORE!!! Time for someone to be the voice, and if that offends the political masters and the petty bureaucrats trying to protect their golden parachutes and pillage the system - then so be it. To quote that wonderful English Bard William Shakespeare, “Unto thine own self be true!”


And THAT – is “As I See It!”