Dear Editor:
The letter from Ziggy Eckardt says it all and so politely. Having been on both sides of the health care fence - I'm a senior registered nurse at Vancouver General Hospital - I can attest to the downward spiralling standards as practised by all staff in hospitals these days. And so much of this situation stems entirely from the insidious privatization of health-care services.
The unfortunate situation of Burnaby hospital reveals how much public services depend on politics, and therefore how everyone must become more politically aware.
In the absence of any electoral reform, the very best way to keep up best practice and standards is to hold politicians accountable after elections, which means paying attention to what's going on.
Politics aside, why does so much weight get put on a report produced by non-medical people about a hospital?
Even though there apparently was "public consultation" involved - maybe even including some nurses and doctors - one can rest assured that great lengths were made to select information with just the right slant.
And it's too bad that politicians and administrators require easy-to-understand stats like "seismic preparedness" to determine the real value of a health-care facility, and not what the facility is required for: patient care!
The conclusion can be understood by kids in a sandbo the Burnaby Hospital is unable to serve it's purpose and therefore must be fixed - renovated or replaced - not studied anymore!
Penny Oyama, Burnaby
