Editorial: Spending a bit can save a lot

There’s more to saving money than simply cutting expenditures. Recent decisions by the B.C. Ministry of Health illustrate the principle that spending money wisely now can result in savings later.Health Minister Margaret McDiarmid is encouraging women with low-risk pregnancies to have their babies at home, if that is their choice, and the ministry has set aside $500,000 to pay for a second midwife or other health professional at each home birth. A growing number of women want to have their babies in their own homes with the services of a midwife. Beyond the benefits those mothers find in such an arrangement, home births save the health system money as no hospital stay is involved. McDiarmid also announced recently that the province would roll out a free colorectal cancer screening program on Vancouver Island for people age 50 to 74. The cost of each test is $35, and McDiarmid doesn’t know how many people will take the test.But a 2009 pilot program in several areas of the province screened more than 15,000 people. The result was the removal of pre-cancerous growths from hundreds of patients and the discovery of 46 cases of cancer. McDiarmid, a physician, says if colon cancer is discovered and treated early, there’s a 90 per cent chance of recovery. The cost of treating colorectal cancer can range from $5,000 to $500,000 per patient each year. Rough math quickly shows the financial value of the screening program, let alone the suffering and anxiety that can be avoided by early treatment. But making the test free does not guarantee everyone will take it. The squirm factor of the “fecal immunochemical test” has probably been more of an impediment than the minor cost. Those in the target group will need to visit their physicians to get the take-home test. Although taking the samples, done at home, is not a complicated procedure, it is not a procedure people look forward to.But that underscores an important factor in health-care costs — personal responsibility. Each of us should take charge of managing our health, including watching what we eat, getting exercise and availing ourselves of services such the screening program. It’s not the job of doctors or government to ensure we stay healthy.Encouraging home births and the use of midwives for those who want to pursue that route is one way to save health-care costs without taking anything away. Preventive programs such as cancer-screening, while involving initial expenditure, easily justify the expense when lives are saved and costly treatment is not necessary.But the greatest savings come when people take control of their own health and make wise decisions.