LETTER: Most believe health care has gotten worse

Anyone who has been to a job interview has been asked: “Where do you see yourself in five years.” 
I certainly have.
Ever notice that every time you’re asked that question, you always answer you see yourself in a better situation than you are today. Maybe with more money, more responsibility or more ability to make positive change in your life and the lives of those around you.
Do you know what they don’t say?
They don’t say they’re going to be satisfied with just getting by and hoping for better decisions by weak politicians and the faceless, unknown bureaucrats they defer to.
Unfortunately, when it comes to health care, that’s the situation Nova Scotians find themselves in. Chained to a broken system run by people who don’t know them, who don’t understand their needs and who are unfamiliar with their community and its struggles.
This week, I asked Nova Scotians if they think our health-care system is better now than it was five years ago.
An overwhelming majority – 90 per cent of respondents – said it was worse. I have to admit, that incredible number even took me by surprise.
And when I asked if people believe there is adequate local decision making on health-care delivery in their community, an unsurprising 76 per cent of people said “no.”
Not every hospital is the same – every corner of this province has its own set of unique challenges and it’s hard to imagine a faceless bureaucrat in Halifax is going to make better decisions than the community’s leaders and health-care professionals. It’s obvious we need more local decision making.
Being Leader of the Opposition is an interview for the job of Premier of Nova Scotia. And, when you ask me where I see Nova Scotia’s health-care system in five years, here’s what I’ll tell you:
I see a system that is informed by local experts and overseen with a responsive and compassionate Health Authority. I see a health system that Nova Scotians can begin to have confidence in again.
 
Tim Houston, Leader,
Progressive Conservative Party of Nova Scotia