GuelphToday received the following letter to the editor from reader Steve Girling regarding the state of Guelph's healthcare system and where public funds should be going.
Dear fellow readers,
Thank you for allowing me to add a voice to the recent letters focusing on health care.
I spent my first thirty years in the City of Windsor at a time when the population was around 200 000 residents. Across the street from my home was one of four city hospitals that residents could count on for quality health care.
My next thirty years were spent in the city of Sarnia, where the population hovered around 70 000. Two hospitals were available for quality health care prior to amalgamation into one.
Hopefully I can enjoy thirty further years here in Guelph, where a population of around 140 000 has only one hospital to provide quality health care. I realize times change regarding government policies, available financing and cost of living but health care shouldn't. In our locale, a second hospital is far more valuable than a new library or recreation centre. At its simplest, it's need over want. Given the provincial government's population growth demands for the future, adding a new hospital is a necessity that the whole community would get behind...because everyone benefits.
Sincerely,
Steve Girling
