It is the pharmacists of the VA who have the meds tied up due to the fed regulations. I told a nurse I wanted to talk to the pharmacist consultant. She said it was there for the docs not the vets. I have built four clinics. I have had to spend budget $ for the politicians and VA groundbreaking song and dance show. All the VA big wigs have undercover cops that travel with them. Out of all of them the Bonham Tx hospital was the best to me.37 years dealing with the VA. Houston ( DeBakey) went to shit when they brought all the Katrina (New Orleans) employees to work there.. Shamers to the max!
I do not understand why you say this. I have worked for the VA for 25 years as a pharmacist. If a patient wants to talk to a pharmacist he will talk to a pharmacist. The same can be said for the Doctors and Nurses.
The majority of the care givers do a great job under most difficult circumstances. I would also estimate that about 20% should be fired tomorrow morning.
The VA brings out the best in most care givers. It also brings out the worst in a few. I presonally know many nurses and doctors and pharmacists that have given many hours of work without any compenstion for their off the clock hours. I know one doctor that will actually make house calls for the Vets. They as I do it for the Vets.
Those Vets are the ones that picked up MI Garands, M16s, climbed into tanks, hit beaches, fought in rice paddies, deserts, and jungles, flew B17s, B24s, B29s, Sabers, F4s, F100s, F104 etc. Many of those died in the deserts, paddies, jungles and many of those planes and men did not return to home base or return at all. Even more returned with terrible physical injuries and mental trauma. I serve and love those vets.
The problem with the VA is a vast overbearing inefficent beuracracy that makes it very difficult for us to provide quality care for our warriors.
The problem is not one of money if the budget were spent wisely. The problem is government bureoracy that can not be solved by government.
However the solution is not difficult but politically very difficult.
The VA has great facilities and "mostly" great personel working there. We should turn the VA over to private interprise to run the facilities on a for profit basis. The governments only role should be to make sure these funds are spent properly and most importantly give the vet access to quality care. If a facility is substandard it should be closed and the vets divertered to private facilities. If a private enterprise has true and free authority to fire the few bad employees we would not need to close any VA as it would quickly come up to a high standard.