Is excess regulation to blame for soaring pharmaceutical prices? "But don't regulations protect Americans from unsafe drugs? 'These particular regulations, the 1962 amendments, have proven to be more deadly than all of the drug toxicity that occurred before their passage,' Dr. Ruwart claims. She estimates that between 1963 and 1999, 4.7 million people died prematurely while the medicine which could have saved them languished in mandated testing. 'The amendments saved a few thousand lives, but the cost was letting millions die waiting for treatment. That's why the amendments are 'excess' regulation,' Dr. Ruwart explains."





A CARING PUBLIC HOSPITAL SYSTEM

In Australia. No wonder Australia also has a large private medicine system.

Elective surgery was suspended yesterday for six weeks at Royal North Shore Hospital, the first NSW public hospital to cease all but emergency operations during an extended holiday shutdown. In the next fortnight, other hospitals are expected to stop elective surgery for periods of up to six weeks, leaving the 70,000 people due for operations - thousands of whom have been waiting longer than a year - with nowhere to go.

A panel of senior surgeons appointed by the Government to examine the surgical crisis is due to present its recommendations to fellow doctors and the Health Minister, Morris Iemma, today. The Government has defended the Christmas shutdown, but critics say it is getting longer each year as hospital administrators use the cancellation of elective surgery to control budget blowouts. The chairwoman of the hospital practice committee at the Australian Medical Association (NSW), Elizabeth Feeney, said that, historically, the holiday closure was limited to one or two weeks. "It is not only the Christmas shutdown; there are closures throughout the year that are less obvious," Dr Feeney said. "They still have to cover the out-of-hours and emergency operations. So, quite clearly, there are surgeons and anaesthetists around who could be doing elective surgery during this period.".....

The Australian Society of Orthopaedic Surgeons' national co-ordinator, Stephen Milgate, said his members had offered to double the number of operations they performed with the existing workforce if the hospitals would open more theatres and beds. "Regardless of how they try and reorganise the deckchairs on the Titanic, there is a massive shortage of operating time for elective surgery in NSW public hospitals."

More here

***************************

For greatest efficiency, lowest cost and maximum choice, ALL hospitals and health insurance schemes should be privately owned and run -- with government-paid vouchers for the very poor and minimal regulation.

Comments? Email me here. If there are no recent posts here, the mirror site may be more up to date. My Home Page is here or here.

***************************