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Read Letter - Why Cut?
By Abby McFee
Written Jan. 26, 2010
A letter written to Mr. Leonard Mitzel, Cypress-Medicine Hat
As a citizen of Alberta who is highly dependent on the public services provided by the government, I was quite disturbed to see the beginnings of change this summer when I was hospitalized at the Foothills in Calgary. As I understand it, though there is a rampant shortage of nurses in hospitals across Alberta, there is also a hiring freeze. This is nonsensical, and is just one example of the way cuts in funding to public services is changing our province- for the worse. My twin sister and I were both born with a genetic disease called cystic fibrosis. It is not even one of the most rare diseases in Canada- in fact, is one of the most common genetic disorders. We need medications and hospitalizations in order to stay alive. Without the services provided by health care, we would be either dead or facing financial destruction. To give you an idea of what it costs to live with CF, one month's supply of one of our inhaled medications costs over one thousand dollars Canadian.We take over twelve medications just to stay healthy. There is absolutely no reason to cut funding to public services. Alberta is still in much better financial shape than most jurisdictions in Canada, even North America. Furthermore, the cuts will not, in the long term, benefit anyone, but will in fact hurt the vulnerable in our society. A healthy population means a strong community. History has proven this time and time again. Isn't it time we stopped repeating past mistakes?
Written Jan. 26, 2010
As a citizen of Alberta who is highly dependent on the public services provided by the government, I was quite disturbed to see the beginnings of change this summer when I was hospitalized at the Foothills in Calgary. As I understand it, though there is a rampant shortage of nurses in hospitals across Alberta, there is also a hiring freeze. This is nonsensical, and is just one example of the way cuts in funding to public services is changing our province- for the worse. My twin sister and I were both born with a genetic disease called cystic fibrosis. It is not even one of the most rare diseases in Canada- in fact, is one of the most common genetic disorders. We need medications and hospitalizations in order to stay alive. Without the services provided by health care, we would be either dead or facing financial destruction. To give you an idea of what it costs to live with CF, one month's supply of one of our inhaled medications costs over one thousand dollars Canadian.We take over twelve medications just to stay healthy. There is absolutely no reason to cut funding to public services. Alberta is still in much better financial shape than most jurisdictions in Canada, even North America. Furthermore, the cuts will not, in the long term, benefit anyone, but will in fact hurt the vulnerable in our society. A healthy population means a strong community. History has proven this time and time again. Isn't it time we stopped repeating past mistakes?
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