Vet clinics in Canada ??????????

[Larrry]

http://www.cattletoday.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=78661

Yes this does belong to the health and nutrition
Vet issues...NOT WITH OUR VET
We have a very good vet!
Here is the problem. In Manitoba, we have about 26 gov funded clinics. There is a local vet board who overseas each clinic, provides the building, some of the diagostic equip, hires the vet on a yearly contract. The province as a whole helps to subsidies the clinics so the prices are a little cheaper. There is a maximum fee schedule which the clinics can not go over.
Ours is below the fee schedule. However some clinics are a little more, some are less.
The problem...people with attitudes that vet services should be cheaper than what they are. That the vet charges too much. So they have complained to the vet board time and time again. They fired the vet gave her 6 months notice.
Not because she is a bad vet. Not because of any mal practice, but because they feel she charges too much and there are some personality conflicts with a few producers. The vet board use to work with the vet. Their meetings were inclusive of the vet. This new board has decided everything is "in camera". Meaning they are unwilling to work with the vet. They do not want her at the meetings and since the meeting as a whole is in camera, unwilling to tell the people why they fired a good vet without just cause.
The vet board is made up with 3 councillors from two munipalities, one rep from Manitoba Ag, and three citizens from both municpalites.

The vet, in getting her walking papers, got over 600 petitions from both small animal and large animal people. Over 40 letters from colleagues (sp) and went to both councils and presented her fee schedule and all this information. As well a guy from the vet gov (higher up) came and tried to mediate.
Some how this has escalated to a bunch of crap. The vet board refuses to acknowledge the wishes of the people and hear the few minority. And instead of investgating and coming to a resoulution, clam up and walk away.
Our vet has been here over a decade, married a cattle producer in the area, and is part of the community.
So after all this she is going into private practice here. Problem is, the practice will cost alot more. Not sure if we can afford those costs. For example, a c section will go from $300 to $450 give or take. I support our vet but what now?
Now i wish i had my head in the sand

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[Big Muddy rancher]

In our area back in the day the Rural Municipalities RM's joined together to form a Vet board and build a clinic. We all payed the same for a farm call whether we lived 10 miles or 60 from the clinic. It worked pretty good
when just about everybody had livestock. Today we have more vets around the area that are at a disadvantage to the vet working out of the Vet board Clinic.Also not nearly as many farms and ranches have livestock. I think in this area we might soon see RM's dropping out of the Vet board and not paying their allotment and opening up the vet practice to competition.
We have more vets working into the edges of the area all the time.

 

[Larrry]

It just seems like socialized medicine for animals. Trying to figure all the details.

 

[Big Muddy rancher]

It just seems like socialized medicine for animals. Trying to figure all the details.

It was a little bit. We still payed for what work was done but it was more like a community built clinic. Not sure exactly how it worked in Manitoba maybe Kato could explain it better, Not even sure how many cinics are owned by Vet boards any more.

You got to remember that Saskatchewan was the birth place of Socialism in Canada :roll:

 

[Larrry]

I guess there would be a difference in the Community pitching in to put up clinics, but if the gov mandated itit would have been a different story.
I know of areas banding together to get doctors and taking up donations It seems like it was on the same scale for cattle and I see nothing wrong with it

 

[Kato]

This is how it works. I worked at just such a clinic.

The local municipalities are the government that chips in. Not the feds, and not the province. How it works is the municipalities involved form a board with representatives on each. They build the clinic, pay for maintenance, utilities, equipment and such. They own it all. The vet works on a contract basis, but receives no money from the vet board other than what they put into the facility. The vet buys all the stock, and supplies, his/her own truck, and hires and pays for the staff. If the vet leaves, they leave with their stock and supplies, and nothing else.

Basically what the vet gets is a rent free facility to use. In return, the vet signs a contract that includes a fee schedule they have to stay within. The contract also sets a maximum markup on drugs that are sold.

It was designed to attract vets to rural practices. It seems most new graduates are happy to do cats and dogs in the city for good money and regular hours.

Whoever wrote that post needs to go to his municipality and get the vet board representatives changed. Or better yet, run for office. The problem is the board, not the vet.