Health by the numbers

Health Minister Paul Oram seems to be pretty good with numbers.

He said last week that the province spends $300,000 every hour of every day on healthcare. That ends up being a big, but unsurprising, total at the end of a year.

Minister Oram also said there are 38 X-ray and laboratory sites in Newfoundland and Labrador.

"We feel, from our department's point of view, that 38 sites can be cut down," he said at a news conference last Monday.

Well, here's another number the minister should consider - the province has 48 MHAs.

Perhaps that number should be looked at as well. If lab and X-ray services can serve people in larger geographic areas with just a little extra travel, why not fewer MHAs responsible for larger districts? The remaining MHAs could be provided with higher salaries to attract and retain talent, as well as newer, better equipment in their offices.

Everyone wins, right? Streamline the system, just like Minister Oram suggests.

One of the first arguments that would be made against such an idea is that the province's geography makes it difficult for an MHA to represent larger districts. It becomes hard to represent people adequately and they spend more time and money travelling.

MHAs should imagine what it would be like to travel those distances, not to attend a 50th anniversary party or ribbon cutting, but for X-rays or laboratory tests.

Oh, and by the way, do it while you're sick and pay for all that travel out of your own pocket instead of submitting an expense claim.

Minister Oram is right when he says the province cannot spend limitless amounts of money on healthcare. It's likely that hard, unpopular decisions will have to be made.

But the bottom line can't be the last word when it comes to health care. Numbers simply don't tell the whole story.