Nineteen characters in search of an author
The scene: British Columbia today. A cast of thousands, discussing the state of health care and medical practice in the province.
Character #1: “Doctors are overpaid crybabies. All they want is more money and more respect. They should be on salary like any public servant.”
Character #2: “My parents really sacrificed for me to go to medical school. I’m proud of where I came from and what I do, and I’m happy that I made them proud too.”
Character #3: “Doctors are the most important part of our health care system. We should give them the respect and the income they deserve.”
Character #4: “These doctors are saps. Bill Bennett got them to back down from a fee increase in ’82, Harcourt did it in ’92, and we’ll get them to do it again.”
Character #5: “My husband always put his patients first. Too bad he couldn’t have felt the same about his family.”
Character #6: “Molecular medicine is the most stimulating area in medical research today—the potential for therapeutic advances is amazing, and I’m very excited to be a part of it.”
Character #7: “I’m feeling just exhausted. I used to be able to see 50 patients a day, but the demand now is so great and I’m so tired.”
Character #8: “Doctors will work to reach the income level they need. If we cut back on their fees, they’ll work harder. Trust me.”
Character #9: “I have to see a female doctor. But none of them are taking any new patients.”
Character #10: “I’ve had the most wonderful doctors—my surgery went without a hitch and I’ve had no pain now for months. They are worth every penny they’re paid.”
Character #11: “I favor just giving doctors the funding and infrastructure they need to do their job, and leaving them to get on with it.”
Character #12: “My time’s valuable too, you know—and I’ve been sitting in your waiting room for 45 minutes already.”
Character #13: “I feel sorry for the doctors and what the government did to them. But my mother’s condition just gets worse and worse.”
Character #14: “This is the best place in the world to live, and I have a good income from my practice. I have no complaints.”
Character #15: “I can’t take it any more. I’ve got a classmate who’s been asking me for years to join him in Massachusetts—well, I’m off.”
Character #16: “Nurses could do most of the work of doctors—at a fraction of the price.”
Character #17: “What do you mean, I need to see you about this? Can’t you just phone it in?”
Character #18: “Our hospital is a vital part of our community, and so are our doctors. We need more of them.”
Character #19: “I’m almost 60, and I always figured I’d be thinking about retirement about now. But not any more.”
Curtain.
Author’s note: Character #11 is our current premier, in conversation with some of us in April 2001.