California Medicine Man: Natasha Richardson and Problems with Canadian Health Care

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Natasha Richardson and Problems with Canadian Health Care

When any young person dies of an intracranial hemorrhage, it's obviously a very sad thing. However, many people were uniquely touched by the death of Natasha Richardson owing to her popularity. There are now questions being raised regarding the promptness of her care particularly regarding the lack of a Medevac helicopter system in Quebec.

Will we be able to count on the mainstream media to investigate such possible inadequacies in the Canadian health care system? Wouldn't such debate be apropos given the Obama administration's commitment to implementing Universal Health Care, a system remarkably similar to Canada's?

Labels: Health Care Economics, Politics As Usual

3 Comments:

Anonymous said...: She refused treatment initially, even after ski patrol requested that she be taken to hospital. Learn how to read news reports.; March 22, 2009 3:08 AM
Anonymous said...: I'm a Quebec citizen. First, you have to know that mrs.Richardson refused to wear the ski helmet even if the instructors told her to wear it. It was her first error (85% skiers do it). That helmet is the best protection against head injuries.
After she fell, she refused to see the paramedics (that was her second error). If only she had accepted, she would be probably still alive.
Up to four hours passed before she was transported to an hospital because she waited too long before asking for that.
Our Canadian universal healthcare system is not perfect but we can't treat people who don't want to.
Mrs.Richardson died and it's sad but it's not because of our healthcare system. So, don't try to say that universal healthcare systems are offering bad quality services because of what happened to her, please.; March 28, 2009 9:36 PM
Ayse said...: your analysis of the whole richardson incidence and assertion of the obama administration's commitment to a health care delivery system similar to canadian's as a professor of medicine sound very political and oversimplified. i would expect more substance and objectivity from a professor of medicine.; June 30, 2009 9:40 AM

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Name: The Medicine Man

Location: Los Angeles, California, United States

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Since early 2004, I have been a full-time assistant professor at the UCLA School of Medicine. I work primarily in the General Internal Medicine Division at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center (a large county medical facility). Currently, I teach medical students, interns and residents in our program and am involved in a number of academic projects.

I have been in private practice with several multispecialty groups and have worked as a hospitalist both for a group and as a solo practitioner before assuming my current position at UCLA.

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