Private Clinic Owner Copeman Says...No Membership, No Flu Vaccine

Responsibilities'RNotUs
Anti-UniversalityVille

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Mama Mea Culpa: In an earlier version of this post I identified Mr. Donald Copeman, the CEO of the private Copeman Clinics, as a 'doctor'. I was mistaken (based on the CBC report linked to below). I apologize to the medical profession and to privatizers everywhere, including the good Mr. Copeman.
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Yesterday, British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell stated that it would be irresponsible for his government not to include private clinics in the initial H1N1 vaccine disbursements that are meant for members of the citizenry at high risk of suffering complications if they were to come down with the flu caused by the virus.

Which would be fair enough if private clinics were making the vaccine available to all members of the citizenry who are at high risk of suffering such complications.

So, given that important qualifier, what does the owner of one such private clinic, Mr. Donald Copeman, have to say on these matters.

Well, again to be bend-over-backwards-as-far-as-humanly-possible fair, Mr. Copeman does say that folks at high risk of complication will be eligible to receive the vaccine that is now in his clinic.

There's only one problem, however.....

Which is the following: Mr. Copeman also says that it is only 'members' of his clinic (ie. not the 'citizenry') who are at high risk of suffering complications that will be eligible to receive the vaccine in is possession, a vaccine whose production is being funded by ALL members of the citizenry.

Here are Mr. Copeman's exact words according to the CBC:

...(Private health clinic) owner Dr. (sic) Don Copeman said the clinic will only give the vaccine to its members at risk, in keeping with the provincial guidelines.

"We had 300 doses, so we've been frantically booking people for their appointments this week, and of course we follow the provincial guidelines and are giving them just to the high-risk groups."....

Now, apparently, Mr. Campbell's hand-picked Health Minister with tar still stuck to his fingers thinks that this is just fine and dandy because.... Well......That's what all of British Columbia's clinics should be, and are doing.

....Health Minister Kevin Falcon said the (private Copeman) clinic is being treated like any other medical practitioner.

"They're given an allotment of vaccinations and they're required to deliver those vaccinations in accordance with the directives of the programs," said Falcon....

But here's the real thing.

The Copeman Clinic is most definitely NOT like every other medical practitioner in British Columbia.

How do I know this?

Because no other medical practitioner that I have ever gone to during my 50 years of living in this province has ever, even once, charged me $3,900, up front, to become one of their 'members'.

OK?


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Does anybody else, other than a crazy old crank like me who believes that this is the thickest possible edge of the wedge smashing Universality's bones to smithereens, have a problem with this?

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