There is much talk about the health-care system and all its problems.
The common solution is to put more money into the system without addressing some of the underlying issues.
I would like to offer one solution.
Part of the problem is how we train surgeons. The present training of surgeons is much too long — two years of pre-medical education, four years of medicine, two years of internship and then two or more years of surgery training.
A person can be in their mid-30s before they are surgeons.
I believe surgeons ought to be treated as a trade.
After one year of successful study of anatomy, the student would become a first-year apprentice. They would work along side a journeyman or master surgeon.
As in any trade, they would be monitored for their ability and if they can progress to a second-year, etc.
After four years, they would become a qualified journeyman surgeon.
Our present system is very inefficient. It does not make use of the human potential and the importance of training people while young. Training people while young imprints upon them better and allows for a longer skilled career.
We would have no shortage of surgeons and if other factors are addressed, there certainly would be no surgical wait lists.
We introduced trades to our high school students and many young people are journeyman tradespeople by their early to mid-20s.
We should change the way we train surgeons. Make it a trade and we will have a better health-care system.
Don Munro
Red Deer