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"l'm going to probably actually do some performing. I do magic and juggling, so I've been hired to do a 'Icw shows. So that's how I'll be spending tt, These shows I'll be dong are in Toronto." This week, the Waterloo Chronicle asked local candidate; A" the provin- cial election how health care in Water- loo Region (an be improved. Next week, we will ask about their positions on another major issue. Their responses are printed in rotating alphabetical order. Elizabeth Winner PC necision 'El W W Free tuition for doctors willing to practice in underserviced areas and the expansion of various pilot pro- jects, like group practices, are just some of the things that Health Minis- ter Elizabeth Wilmer's Progressive- Conservative government is looking to do to solve the local doctor short- age. "We are offering free tuition to stu- dents who are entering' medical school, or are already studying medi- cine, ifthey're willing to practice in an underserviced area, such as K-W, upon graduation," said 1drttIsttr- A Tory government Jould also set up a task force to come up with a comprehensive plan so that family practitioners and specialists are in place to meet the health needs of Ontarians in the future. This would be in addinon to a num- ber of initiatives already in place like the rural medical training program set up m partnership with the University of Western Ontario, The program allows medical students lo renews tralnmg m rural areas with the hope that they wdl mum lo the communi- ttes when they graduate, The underserviced designation that Kitchener-Waterloo received from the provmce last year will also help the communities lo rtcruil new doctors on campus and provides the commu» mty with financial incentive grants to have doctors set up practice locally There IS also $36 4 million prmnded annually by the province [or groups of phrncians setting up In underser- viced areas Doctors can also RCCWC a Sro-per-hour scssmnal fee for provrd- mg emergency M-hour coverage, Wilmer sud her government IS also expanding the role of nurse practi- unners. which will tyve people another way of accessing primary care "l am gmng lo continue to work Dan Truesdale very hard to respond to the health needs of our community in order lo ensure that we have our fair share, and that we have access to the services we need," said IMtttter, "I dont really have too many plans yet. I'll possibly be gong campmg. but I'm not exactly sure. It's too late to make reservations, I think. I would have liked to have gone to Grand Bend, but It's way too late for anything out them" Helmut Braun Independent A new entrant into the provincial election race for the Kitchener-Water- loo seat is independent candidate Hel, mut Braun. The 41-year-old is a research assis- tant at the Centre for Research and Education In Human Services in downtown Kitchener, and is a pan- time student at the University of Waterloo. He last ran for federal office in 1997 as a member of the Marxist- Leninist Party of Canada. 'Tm against the privatization of health care and the delisting of vari- ous medicrtlastrvices born CHIP,“ said Braun. "I think that health care should be entrenched as a basic human right for all." Braun said we shouldnt be taken in by the Tories' "propaganda" that they're doing something about health care, They've cut out billions from the system and are only putting back a tiny amount, he said. "is really a drop in the ocean com- pared to what they've taken out," said Braun. Braun said the current provincial government wants everyone to fend for themselves, including the health care workers. He would like In see their numbers increased. Judy Greenwood-Speer, Green Party Braun would also like lo see alter- native methcines brought into the provtncial health plan. "Not Just conventional medicine should be funded by GRIP, Inn also what are called alternative or comple- mentary practices like homeopathy," he said "There should also he free prescnplmn drugs whether convert- lmnal or herbal," Judy Greenwood-Vers, the local candidate lor the Green Party. said she's km Iighmngfor prggcy health care In the ma since her run at aid fa Rachael Brubacher regional council in 1997. Greenwood-Speer: has brought for- ward a number of recommendations and suggestions to local councillors concerning the problems of underser- vicing in the area. She's even sent out surveys lo see what would bring new doctors Into the area. "Just relaxing. In Toronto. Relax- ing means taking a break from study (at Wilfrid Launer University) and maybe just spending time with ant- ily That's about it." Greenwood-Speers said some of those incentives could include rent- free ofhce space for a couple of years. local communities could also subsi- dize a doctor's education. "They would be likely gelling that back in property taxes," she said. “I just can't getUnybody with enough political will to do some- thing," said Greenwood-Vers. "We have over 40,000 people who dont cven have a physician. This is not a healthy atmosphere for people." Getting more doctors would also solve a lot of the problems that the area's emergency rooms have had in the last year. “If you dont have a doc- tor, a lot of people show up at emer- gency for what is more routine medical care than anything else" Improving the nursing situation is also a top priority for Greenwood- Speers, who has seen morale drop while working as a gerontology nurse at Freeport Health antre. "Nu/ses an responsible for the pro- motion of health and the prevention of illness," she said. "This IS where the smart money is, because if we dont prevent illness, we'll never have enough money to treat all the illness" Ted Martin NDP The New Democratic Party candl- date fornhe provincial nding of Kllclr enerWaerloo says he would 1ry and set up more community health-care centres m Waterloo Region f he were elected MPP Ted Mama said last week the estalr lishment of more cammunlly health- care centres in the region, wluch would allow more doctors lo work on salary and would bring more doctors, nurses and other health professionals together, would help solve such things asA kyyl, 4051.0: ndnte1r,ly,1age, "is: FT- 12:: FUT. 'iRruiCCC"PV. “Thais one approach to alum new Byron Tobar . ue, ‘.‘_" P----- "tmttrttith'et'ttstsms'itiihed doctors especially," Martin said. "Set- ting up a new practice can be very costly, and that's a way we can attract new doctors again without putting an undue burden on thear" Martin also said the NDP would hire back all the nurses and health- care workers forced out of work by Progressive Conservative health-care cutbacks. And he said the NDP would immediately invest another $250 mil- lion into home-nursing and home- making personal support services. " can honestly tell you that I'm a farmer. So I'll probably do exactly what a farmer does on May M, which is slugging it. There's no choices. But I may go down to Bronte Harbour for awhile, down to the lake, But thats about it." Martin also said an NDP govern- ment would make sure nurses work- ing in the private sector in community home care would receive higher wages in order to keep them working in that growing fteld, And he sajd the NDP wants to establish a patients' Bill of Rights.’ A "It will require accountable, safe and adequately staffed health care J' he said. "And we'll also provide the fund- ing to make sure that all hospital emergency cases are assessed by a reg- istered nurse within 15 minutes." Lm Reine] Family Coalition The Family Coalition Party candi- date for the provincial riding of Kitch- ener-Waterloo says he has no magic solutions lo solve health-care prob- lems in Waterloo Region. Lou Reiuel said last week one thing he didnt believe in was dictating to doctors where they could or could not practise medicine in the pmwnce. "I think you have to give them some kind of financial incentive," he said. when asked how doctors could be attracted to an underserviced area like Kitchener-Waterloo. "Other than that, I dont know," he said "It's a dilemma, I don't have a solution for tt " As for the current nursmg shortage m Waterloo Region, Rand said peo- ple lust had lo be paucm with the pmvmce's health-cate system. "II wasnt that long ago that "units were leaving the country because they were letting them go here," Rereel sand "I think it's Just going to take awhde until they gel them back again and _-_.apeiti', . A A-A‘,_‘_‘-J l- Mary Chisholm Reitzel also said he wasn't as con- cemed about current emergency mom lineups as other people are. "I dont think the problems are as bad as they say," he said. "Sometimes there's a long lineup and other times you just walk right in. There's no cryr tal ball. You dont know when the line- ups are going to be." He said one way perhaps emergency room care could be improved was for healthcare workers to do a better job of assessing priority cases. Tm actually doing a midmght sad at the Oxford Sailing Club near Woodstock on Pinock lake. It's actu- ally a reservoir. We have a little sail- ing club there. And we shall be having a midnight sail with a barbe- cue beforehand. And I’m looking for- ward to ll." Sean Strickland Liberal The Liberal candidate for the provincial riding of Kitchener-Water- loo says if hes elected the riding's MPP, local residents will no longer have to lobby for better health care. "l think that it's unconscionable for the present minister, who is in this riding, to say to this community a year and one-half ago, 'You have to do a better job of lobbying the health min- istry to get your services.'" Sean Strickland" said last week. "Well, if I'm MPP, people aren't going to have have to lobby me to get the health care that they deserve, N do the job for them." Strickland said if he and the Liber- als did get into power, they would restore confidence in Ontario's health- care system by increasing funding to u across the board, Such increased funding would encourage potential nurses and other health-care professionals to once again consider health care as a wablc career. Strickland also said the way he and the Liberals would solve the doctor shortages in underservrced areas We the Region of Waterloo would he to pay medical students' luilmn and medical fees if they agreed to work m an undersewsced area after gradu.» lion. And by mcrcasmg the number of doctors m the region and by making sure communuy health-care beds were In place before local hnspllal beds were closed, the liberals could solve the knglhy lineups at local hor pital emergency departments. Alice Chisholm