[CUPE healthcare list] FW: fyi -- "An election for the soul of medicare: The CMA vote is sparking a debate...", Vancouver Sun, 18Aug06

["Heather Farrow" <hfarrow@cupe.ca>]

-----Original Message-----
From: Margi Blamey [mailto:MBlamey@heu.org]
Sent: Friday, August 18, 2006 11:11 AM
To: Kathy Corrigan; Coordinator
Cc: Carleen Pickard; Colleen Fuller; Heather Farrow
Subject: fyi -- "An election for the soul of medicare: The CMA vote is sparking a debate...", Vancouver Sun, 18Aug06



An election for the soul of medicare: The CMA vote is sparking a debate about the future of medicare in Canada
The Vancouver Sun 
Fri 18 Aug 2006 
Page: A6 
Section: News 
Byline: Norma Greenaway 
Dateline: OTTAWA 
Source: CanWest News Service 

OTTAWA -- Dr. Brian Day is on a crusade of sorts to persuade medical colleagues that, contrary to popular opinion, he is not the devil, and he is the best pick for president of the powerful Canadian Medical Association. 

"I'm hardly scarey," the orthopedic surgeon professes during a telephone interview. "I've never said I want to privatize medicare." 

The co-owner of a private surgical clinic pleads guilty, however, to being impatient with government "inertia" on health-care reforms. He also pleads guilty to believing private funding and private delivery of medical services are part of the solution to Canada's health-care woes. Competition is the ticket to making waiting lists for treatment disappear, he argues. 

Day said his critics have unfairly characterized him as a privatization extremist in pursuit of a U.S.-style health system for Canada, and someone whose views on how to fix the system are offside with those of most Canadians and most physicians. 

The upshot is Day, a founder and co-owner of the Cambie Surgery Centre in Vancouver, has hit a big bump on the road to claiming the presidency of the CMA for the 2007-08 term. 

Despite winning a key vote in February, Day is facing a last-minute challenge for the presidency from Dr. Jack Burak, a B.C. colleague whom Day defeated in the first round of voting. 

Burak said he's open to public-private partnerships in the delivery of health care, but the emphasis should be on expanding the delivery of publicly funded, publicly delivered services. 

"I do not believe we need an expansion of privately funded, privately delivered health care facilities in Canada," he said. "We do not have enough doctors or other health care professionals to support such a [parallel] system." 

The showdown between the two men will come at the CMA's annual convention, which begins Sunday in Charlottetown. It is only the third time in CMA's 139-year history there has been a challenge from the convention floor. 

The CMA presidency is rotated among the provinces, and it is British Columbia's turn to put forward a name to head the organization. Day won the nomination after five ballots in the B.C. voting, and, if all had gone according to plan, his nomination would have been rubber stamped in Charlottetown. 

Instead, all bets are off for the vote on Aug. 22, which will coincide with a planned debate by convention delegates on the tug-of-war over private versus public health care. 

Make no mistake. This is a nasty contest compared to the snooze fests of most CMA presidential races. 

Day feels burned by Burak, a former president of the B.C. Medical Association who had made a written commitment to abide by the results of the first vote. And Burak feels burned by the B.C. Medical Association, which has opted to back Day's presidential bid with words and physical support. 

Despite the bad blood, some doctors say the unexpected faceoff will help focus the long-simmering, and oft-murky debate over public and private medicine. 

"Having this election makes people sit up, and pay attention," said Dr. Marshall Dahl, a Burak supporter and one of the B.C. doctors defeated by Day in the February vote. "I don't like to see it [the CMA] polarized. But it's time to make a decision. So it's a healthy debate." 

For the record, both Day and Burak insist they don't want the race to turn into a personal slagging match. After all, they both say, they have nothing but the greatest respect for each other as doctors and colleagues. 

The sniping began, however, with Burak's announcement on July 11 that he would challenge Day in Charlottetown. 

An unhappy Day said he was "shocked and disappointed" by the turn of events. He immediately cast doubt on Burak's integrity, and accused him of being disrespectful of the electoral process. 

Burak has been unapologetic about ending Day's waltz to the presidency. He characterizes Day as "parachute" candidate who, he said, has not contributed to the governance of the CMA in any way, shape or form over the years. 

"I've never seen him actually sitting on any meaningful committee, doing the day-to-day, behind-the-scenes work developing policy for the organization," Burak said in an interview. 

Day acknowledges the CMA has not -- until now -- been on his radar screen. "There's a limit to what one can do in life," he said, citing his extracurricular work as an editor on the B.C. Medical Journal and as a lecturer and teacher. "I also have six kids and a wife." 

Dr. Margaret MacDiarmid, president of the B.C. Medical Association, said Day won the B.C. vote fair and square and he deserves to be confirmed in Charlottetown. There is no reason why CMA presidents should have to be "people who have been steeped in the CMA tea for 10 or 12 years," she added. 

MacDiarmid, who has a family practice in Trail, also said the CMA must take a lead role in the drive to improve the health system, regardless of who wins the presidency. 

"My patients really are suffering and dying on waiting lists," she said. "I love my job, but you end up feeling like a terrible care provider when you look at them and say; 'I cannot access [treatment] for you.' 

Burak acknowledges he signed a commitment to live with the results of the B.C. race. But he said he had no choice but to heed the pleas of colleagues across the country who said he must try to head off the election of someone who is "promoting the expansion of private, for-profit health care in Canada." 

Dr. Danielle Martin, who heads a nascent group called Canadian Doctors for Medicare, said she is frightened at the prospect of a Day presidency. 

She contends the election of such a well-known advocate of for-profit health care will be perceived by Canadians and other health care professionals as proof doctors are a greedy bunch. She also worries other issues facing doctors and patients will get sidelined by the debate over private versus public health care. 

"I fear the CMA will become really marginalized," said Martin, a physician in Toronto. 

Such talk infuriates Day, who has fired off a letter to about 300 delegates to the CMA meeting assuring them that he does not view the presidency as a personal bully pulpit. He said he's committed to representing the views and policies of the membership, and has no intention of dictating policy. 

Illustration:
* Photo: Vancouver Sun files / Dr. Brian Day (left) believes a mix of private and public delivery is the solution to the problems facing Canada's health care system. Day is seeking election as president of the CMA to promote his position, but faces a challenge from Dr. Jack Burak (right), a former president of the BCMA who does not want any expansion of privately funded health care.