LETTER

Thank you CISSSO and Bulletin!

 

It has been a while since I have read anything as informative and important as the CISSSO page on “health system users’ rights” in last week’s Bulletin, page 15. I found this information helpful and also very reassuring. We hear about our serious loss of privacy everywhere, thanks to social media; at least we can be assured that our health information is relatively secure – and that the authorities there actually are concerned with privacy of personal information.

The most surprising thing is the emphasis placed on service in English to English patients. According to what we hear from some sources, we English patients should have no rights to be heard and instructed in English in our health system. But CISSSO tells us that we have full rights to be communicated to in English! That should be repeated in every edition so the message gets through.

We have the right to review our medical files, and we have the right to be treated where we wish, if the services we need are available there. We have the right to be accompanied by another person during our health care – and we have the right to file a complaint. And there is more. I cut out this page!

A bit of good news from our health system here in Gatineau and in Quebec. Thank you!

Andy Black
North Aylmer