New OHIP Approvals

Everybody wants to think what they did, where they go is the best, whether we are talking grocery shopping, buying jeans or having surgery. It's just regular human behaviour. So I have held off a few days responding to my previously posted letter regarding OHIP, trying to analyze why I am feeling the way I am about it.

OHIP is great. There is now doubt that universal health care is something that helps make Canada the best place in the world to live in. There are some undeniable facts though... We have not been the inovators in bariatric research and procedures. And although, the College of Physicians holds an annual bariatric specialists sympossium once per year, bariatrics is still not a recognized speciality in Canada. The surgeons that perform these operations are general surgeons, people that have a lot of knowledge about the whole body and how to perform many different surgeries. Our medical system is set up drastically different than that of our US counterparts, when they say bariatric specialist, it means exactly that. Their sugeons are and have been trained specifically through schooling and residency to be a specialist in the subject. We are not there yet.

This is what scares me a little about the new regulations coming down from OHIP regarding US surgery. Don't get me wrong, we need and have needed our medical community to get on board with bariatrics for a long time and it is very encouraging that they finally are. I just don't agree with OHIP blindly stopping people from seeking out the help of US Dr.'s while they get there "house in order" and truly can be world reknowned for bariatrics like they are many other specialities.

Somewhere, some Dr. noticed a large amount of money being paid to US firms that perform these procedures and decided it was high time we keep our publicly funded OHIP dollars in Canada, for this I agree to fully. Our tax dollars should always stay in Canada if at all possible, but I worry if the individuals who start these practices in Canada simply are going for the cash or are truly committed to the long term care of bariatrics and are fully prepared to do the things that they do in the states. The constant support, nutritionist help, online and in-person support groups, empathy training for there staff. All of these things will determine if this is going to be another great Canadian story or a blunder of epic proportions.

I also feel for the people who have been jumping through the OHIP hoops trying to get an approval only to be told they have to go to a "new" clinic and start the process over.

As you can see, I am still undetermined on this one, it's a hard thing to see come to fruition when our medical system for years blamed the individual instead of recognizing obesity as a disease, maybe I have some hard feelings. There are countless stories of Canadians going to emergency rooms and being mistreated because our Dr.'s don't know how to deal with bariatric patients, I know, I have an aunt that almost died last year when she was continually misdiagnosed(after telling the Dr.'s she was a gastric bypass patient) and ended up spending 2 weeks in Henry Ford hospital in Michigan, one of which in ICU, because our ER Dr's in Windsor could not diagnose a blockage after three seperate visits to them. I know I sound negative, I am just scared, this new system will need time before it is perfect, I just hope the cost of getting into bariatrics so late is one we can afford and families don't lose other members of their families because OHIP wants to keep the cash in Canada.

That's how I see it now, I really hope our future with baritric treatment is bright and the proper support mechanisms are put in place everywhere, not just at the hospital where the procedures are done, but throughout our health care system.

Wayne