Dr. Melanie Bechard

Dear Dr. Melanie Bechard,
I want to thank you for being on the side of MEDICARE and not PRIVATIZATION OF OHIP AND HEALTH CARE RIGHT ACROSS CANADA.
I see that you are a Pediatrician at CHEO. In the 1980s before I worked for multiple Family doctor clinic. I was one of the Original volunteers in the new
Program in CHEO’s ER . The nurses were so good, and during Premiere Mike (THE KNIFE) Harris did major cut backs to CHEO’s staff and funding at that time. I was asked to help in situations (extra set of hands) where I here now Volunteers are not allowed to do. (I almost became a nurse thanks to the RNs, but that fell through, when I was told you cant have a bad back)….. okay that was a little background. I am a member of the Ontario Health Coalition and the Ottawa Health Coalition. I am so relieved to see that not all doctors have gone the way of Privatization! I am retired 67 year old senior Many problems and I knew what it was like to not have Medicare and GO to the CIVIC hospital’s POOR MAN CLINIC (where now there is a Tim Hortons and shops starting at the Patterson Door). We couldn’t go to see our own family doctor, as we couldn’t pay cash, due to a serious alcoholic father. I suffered a lot with Ear infections due to bad tonsils since I was 7 years old, of which the CMA refused to take out, because they were going through a policy of Tonsils Stop Germs!, but they were willing to shove me on huge antibiotics my working mother of 5 after our father dumped us, could ill afford, the pills and ABX drops both ears that had to be cut in half to swallow along with ear drops. The ENT which I had to fight for as a teen… once called my ears “YOUR CRUDDY EARS”, vacuuming out the infections. He waited till I just turned 17 in Deep cold month of January. Later the head of the ENT at the General Hospital (in my mid twenties, took out most or all of my right ear mastoid and rebuilt the ear drum. I’m losing my hearing. Now I have many other health issues that I cannot get a family doctor for. Why? new doctors, are only accepting those patients with little work involved 10 minute appointments. I’ve already been rejected by one "WELL HEALTH group of companies which is on the TSX, VSX, MSX, NYSX. I sure hope there are many more doctors like you fighting for children especially and more for the Boomer Generation like me. Due to Congenital conditions that never got diagnosed till much later in life, when technology improved CT scans, SPECT, and an MRI,
did I start getting proper diagnoses. I am very worried now if this 2nd meet and greet goes the same way as the first one. She laughed, rejected me and took the next couple right after me. I remember when doctors when you could leave a doctor who was not professional and they fought to get you as a patient. Now since Doug Ford’s Privatization the tune has changed. Delisting of so many formerly covered OHIP treatments. I had to lance a cyst on my EYE LID because the Eye Doctor said it was $250. It took me two home treatments to get the sac out. I was sterile but it was a painful procedure. I was told by this doctor on McLeod st. It was now considered cosmetic and that was just before the Millenium. It really bothers me, is the graduating doctors these days don’t think of a patients welfare, but how much money they can squeeze out of patients and let the wealthy jump the queues. Please keep us up-to-date, It sure would be nice to know how many doctors are behind keeping UNIVERSAL MEDICARE (Under the CANADA HEALTH ACT of 1984) or do they just want the sick to die off.

With my sincere gratitude for your type of doctor who still cares. I know people are dying in my building, because there is no decent LTC to put them in.
Keep up the good fight. I will do what I can through OHC.

Ms. Barbara McKenzie,