Letter to the Editor:

Much to be grateful for

I was at Meno Ya Win Health Centre this week for an out patient medical service. I was reminded how fortunate we are to live in a place that has a medical facility, and staff, like we have at Meno Ya Win Health Centre.
The facility and services available are excellent. The four party agreement that brought us the current hospital is an example of what can be done when people work together.
The staff at the hospital are also to be thanked for their professionalism and the courtesy with which they treat everyone. We are fortunate to have both this facility and the staff here in Sioux Lookout.
I have friends and relatives in the United States where health care is very expensive and the quality of care or access to care depends on how much money you have. Many of them are paying hundreds of dollars every month for medical insurance. Even then, after paying their high insurance premiums they may have a $5,000 or $10,000 deductible.
A few weeks ago I had a friend who needed to get a COVID-19 test for all four members of his family. The doctor told him it would cost $125 per person for the test plus $100 per person for an office visit. Here we can book a test and don’t have to worry about how we are going to pay for it.
I have friends in underdeveloped countries where there is a government funded health care system and also a private system. The private system provides a much higher quality of care than the government system. So, if you are not wealthy you have no choice but to go to the government health care system. If you have money you can get better quality care through the private system.
Our health care system in Canada may be underfunded and in need of some improvement, but it is still the best system I have seen in my travels to other countries. I feel blessed to live in Canada, and to live in Sioux Lookout.
We have so much to be grateful for. One of those things is our healthcare system, and the Meno Ya Win Health Centre. My thanks to everyone involved with Meno Ya Win. The board, administration, and the staff. All these people work hard to bring us the medical care that we too often take for granted.
Merle Burkholder