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Doctors’ errors and omissions
Letter to the Editor
The election ad in the May 8 Townsman and the May 10 Advertiser by Cranbrook Physicians for Health—all six of them—was a big case of errors and omissions.
Were they too busy or too important to bother complying with the Election Act? Section 231(1) of the Act requires third parties who wish to advertise during an election campaign to register with Elections BC. Further, they must state in their ad that they are a registered sponsor under the Election Act, and they must provide an address or phone number where they may be contacted. The ad in the Townsman by the Cranbrook Physicians for Health failed to fulfill these requirements.
The errors include the statement that “Cranbrook is a full-service regional hospital” and that “We have a full complement of medical specialists.” The ad lists 14 specialties.
The Kalispell Regional Hospital lists 39 specialties including: cardiology nine physicians, cardiothoracic surgery two, medical oncology six, neurology six, neurosurgery three, nephrology two, rheumatology two, pulmonology three, endocrinology three, dermatology three, plastic surgery two, physical medicine rehabilitation two, pain management four. Since 1987 the Kalispell hospital has had both radiation oncology and a permanent MRI.
For a fuller look at a regional hospital offering a full spectrum of health care services, Google Kalispell Regional Medical Center’s clear and informative website. For an eye-opening shock, Google Cranbrook Regional Hospital for a paucity of information in a bureaucratic style.
How does the Kalispell area, with a population not much greater than Cranbrook’s health area, get to where Dr. Milton Glatterer says, “It will be an uncommon need to travel out of the Flathead Valley for heart surgery”? How? The area legislators work hard and quietly bring home their fair share, while not having their funds drained off to pay for big city stadiums and convention centres—all without political cheerleaders.
There is much more to life than winning elections at any cost.
William G. Hills, Ph.D.,
Cranbrook
