🚀 go-pugleaf

	Nine years ago the Government created a pilot program to provide 
home care for people suffering with pulmonary disorders. The services 
offered were clinical, therapeutic and the essential oxygen required to 
survive. The program commenced in Halifax for those people who live less 
than 15 minutes� driving time from the Victoria General Hospital.  However 
the coverage did not extend outside Halifax and downtown Dartmouth. This 
was later expanded to encompass an area 30 minutes' from the V.G. This was 
wonderful for those select few who resided in Metro.

	The second class citizens outside of Metro continue to be denied 
services by the Nova Scotia Department and Minister of Health. There are 
about 650,000 people do not reside in the Halifax Regional Municipality. 
An additional 150,000 people within the Municipality are excempted from 
coverage, This brings the disenfranchised multitude to 800,000 people.
	
	The Department of Health staffers argue against full expansion not 
for fiscal or even political, but rather a number of outlandish reasons.  
First they say that expert skills in Respiratory Sciences do not exist 
outside of Halifax. We have contacted the regional hospitals in 
Antigonish, Bridgewater, Kentville, Sydney, Truro, and Yarmouth. All of 
these facilities have qualified respiratory technicians and physicians 
with the required pulmonary expertise permanently on staff. We now begin 
to wonder about the veracity of statements made by the executive staff of 
the Health Department.  Either they are sorrowfully misinformed or else 
they are ...

	The second argument used is that this is still a trial program.  
We looked at other similar trial programs, the most notable being home 
dialysis.  These on average, remain clinical trials for just under three 
years before being adopted Province-wide.  Again the "9" years of the 
pulmonary evaluation seems extreme.

	Finally the Metro Area was selected because it had the highest 
population density. This indicated to the Department of Health that the 
largest percentage of need would be served by the trial. The 
Pictou-Antigonish, and Sydney Regional areas; according to Stats Canada,  
suffer as much as 10 times the rate for the rest of the Province. Why were 
they not chosen as ideal test sites ?  Furthermore, why weren't they even 
added after the normal three year test period ?  In many cases the causes 
of pulmonary deterioration are not known.

	While only 800 people need some level of assistance outside of 
Metro, this represents one out of every thousand disenfranchised Nova 
Scotians. Hence 80% of Nova Scotians are being denied this necessity of 
life.  Why?  The only conclusion is that people outside Metro are less 
deserving of quality health care.  We would like to see this imbalance 
remedied as soon as possible.  The services provided must be universal.  
Using tricks and protocol to deny basic services is unfair. If the 
politicians will not change the rules and enforce a more balanced set of 
standards then we must change the politicians.

	Friends, please write, make noise, do something.  We have to 
change the system or else we may be gasping for breath while those in 
Metro breathe easily.  Contact your MLA.  Call or write to your local news 
agencies and councillors. Let the Minister of Health know how you feel 
about this situation.  Call him at 1-902 424-5818 or send him a fax at 
1-902 424-0559.  Write to him at P.O. Box 488 Halifax, N.S. B3J 2R8.  It 
will only take a few minutes of your time and your message will make a 
difference.