Some of my email correspondence with the Medical Director, Communicable Diseases & Immunization Service, last year indicated that if the Ministry of Health approved funding for Shingrix vaccination, it would become available on April 1st this year. Evidently, this has not happened, so my current missive to her is somewhat strident:
"Recent media reports of public funding of the Health Action Network Society have revealed the hypocrisy of our health care system, which provides support to a discredited anti-social charlatan group, while denying economically stressed seniors protection from a readily preventable condition and potentially saving substantially on the treatment of that condition.
While I do not have the resources to gather hard data on the cost of treating shingles, the simple logic of the issue indicates to me that making Shingrix (RZV) freely available to the susceptible segment of the population is a win-win proposition. This is reinforced by my reading of the following statement taken from Management Options Table 10 in the August 27, 2018 report on the issue:
"Based on Cost Utility Analysis: - RZV is cost-effective compared to no vaccination for adults ≥50 years. Best cost effectiveness found to be among 65-79 year olds."
I can't imagine that the BCCDPAC has not recommended to the Ministry of Health that Shingrix should be covered by our provincial health plan. However, in spite of your statement that a funded program, if approved by the Ministry, would start on April 1 this year, I see no indication this week that it has even been considered.
My conclusion is twofold: 1. Seniors are viewed as a population segment that is not worth their cost; and 2. The Ministry of Health is such a cumbersome bureaucracy that by the time it can implement a cost saving measure, its costs have increased to such an extent that the impact of the measure on the system is so minuscule that the additional administrative burden of implementation eliminates the cost saving.
My whole four year quest is living proof that we, the seniors, are second class citizens, and that the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal (BCHRT), as well as its national (CHRT) and provincial counterparts, is nothing more than a kangaroo court set up principally to cater to a larger ethnic component of our society, whose votes are critical to the political elite.
The extensive redaction in the voluminous documentation presented by the government lawyers prior to, and during the Human Rights Tribunal hearing sixteen months ago are a clear indication of the secrecy associated with health funding, but at this time I should like to know if there is any chance that the Ministry will fund Shingrix vaccination at any time in the foreseeable future. I am copying this query to Dr. Henry in the hopes that she, as Provincial Health Officer, may also shed some light on this issue."
When, or if, a response is forthcoming from the establishment it may provide an indication of the futility of trying to advocate for a group that lacks sufficient political influence.May 31, 2019. Earlier this month yet another seniors' organization was contacted for help with advocacy, and the response was the same mealy-mouthed put-off that appears to be standard with such organizations in response to initiatives coming from outsiders. Our somewhat curt response was to suggest that a close and personal encounter with the malady might influence their attitude toward advocacy for the vaccination.
Frustration with six months of stonewalling by both the Minister of Health and the Premier (without so much as an acknowledgement of our communication), led to an appeal to the official opposition, which not only produced an instant auto-response, but a prompt and positive reply (in less than ten minutes) from their health critic, Norm Letnick, that it is something he is considering for their platform, and that he had already brought it up with Minister Dix in the House.
By sheer coincidence around noon today we received a response from the Ministry of Health to our email of December 14, 2018. Our reply indulged in sarcasm.
Some correspondents queried how they might assist our effort: our response to one applies to all.
June 10, 2019. The header of this section appears to apply not only locally but universally: news from the United Kingdom has a cut in seniors' privileges making up for a budget shortfall. It's far easier to impose hardship on the helpless than cut fat where it's protected by unions and other vested interests. That brings to mind that we have a Seniors Advocate in British Columbia. Past attempts at interaction with her office have proved futile. Perhaps it's time to rattle her cage again.
July 3, 2019. A phone call last Friday with Isobel Mackenzie, the BC Seniors Advocate, provided some encouragement that she will bring up shingles vaccination at future meetings with pertinent officals, but no specific commitments. A news article on the election results in Prince Edward Island has the new Conservative government indicating that it will pay for shingles vaccinations next year, but they have not yet considered the issue of which vaccine it is to be, and need to study it - which sounds like they are trying to justify the delay in commitment of funding.
August 9, 2019. The daily press has lately been providing frequent exposure to a pretty disgusting, apparently transgendered, publicity hound, cleary reinforcing the case for dismantling the BCHRT; which managed to survive the demise of Section 13 of the Canadian Human Rights Act and the exposure of the odious Richard Warman and his CHRT sponsor, the late Jennifer Lynch.
August 31, 2019. A pretty strong case can be made for the dismantling of human rights tribunals as an expensive forum and platform for petty and vexatious claims of extortionists and narcissist exhibitionists such as Jessica/Jonathan Yaniv, whom the media are giving the exposure she (he, they, it?) craves. The latest case being pursued by an extortionist "babysitter" in Edmonton is an indication of the ridiculous trivialities the tribunals accommodate while failing those in crises.
September 22, 2019. The writ was dropped on September 11, and the federal election campaign is well under way. While we try to stay apolitical, one issue that should be front and centre is the dismantling of the Human Rights Industry at the federal level at this time. The provincial election in British Columbia in October next year may provide the opportunity to lobby for the abolition of the costly and ineffectual BC Human Rights Tribunal as well as the additional grievance bureaucracy of the BC Human Rights Commission.
October 7, 2019. A review of recent developments on the Shingles vaccination issue has found that the Canadian Association of Retired Persons (CARP) finally started advocating for its inclusion in provincial medical coverage, but only Ontario has responded favorably - unfortunately on a very limited scale and with the wrong vaccine. A recent item from CBC's Dr. Brian Goldman makes a strong pitch for Shingles vaccination, while another report expresses serious concerns with Shingrix and the whole Shingles scenario.
October 24, 2019. It appears that the BCHRT is at least able to take considerably less than three years on the obvious! It has produced a ruling on the Jessica Yaniv complaint, mentioned above, which actually penalizes the plaintiff. Another very minor positive note is that our GP's office has now entered the 21st century by setting up a system for making appointments on line.
December 6, 2019. Having had pretty well no success in enlisting any seniors' advocacy groups or individuals in my shingles quest, I am almost prepared to give up - and indeed, on the fifth anniversary of its start, in just over two months, I shall. Meantime, I missed commenting on the most recent declaration of hypocricy from our Province on October 1st, and no comment is required on the continuing Yaniv saga.
March 2, 2020. The latest bizarre ruling from the nationwide human rights industry comes from Manitoba, and considers convicted pedophiles a victim class needing protection under the human rights umbrella. Meantime, it appears the Ministry of Health has finally come to its senses in denying funding to anti-vaxers, so perhaps there is hope that it may yet acknowledge that seniors have rights.
January 1, 2021. Having almost given up on the issue of the hopelessness of trying to expose the moral bankruptcy and corruption of the Human Rights Industry (it has certainly achieved industrial dimensions) I have one further comment on the conduct of the BCHRT, and that is one that essentially confirms its illegitimacy. In recalling the proceedings, at the actual three day hearing, there was a prohibition on any sort of video, photo, or sound recording. Presumably this was to ensure that there was only one official record of the event, which could be presented as the only truth. Transparency and accountability be damned, no one but the establishment and its minions is capable of producing the absolute truth! In retrospect, I believe I should have ignored this prohibition on the grounds that this was a public hearing and in the interest of accountability and transparency I needed a full record of the proceedings for myself, including photo and video recordings.
November 27, 2021. As an ironic finale, about ten days ago I started to feel an itch on my back, which felt like a mosquito bite. Having an occasional mosquito still show up at home once in a while, I thought nothing of it, until there was another a day or two later, and more coming until I had a bunch of apparent welts on the left centre of my back. I finally showed it to Elaine, and her immediate response was: "it's shingles". Having suspected the same, I believe that I have a mild case - no pain, only a persistent itch, and of course the red welts with some small blisters. In light of the billions currently being spent on COVID, and its economic impact, I believe the cost of vaccinating elders against the ravages of shingles should seem like chump change to the medical community - particularly now - thanks to COVID there are so many fewer of us...
