weekend coming up, so i'll dabble an off topic again
i knew Cdn healthcare is broken but only when i recently required foot injury care i learned how bad the system we got, a lot of run around, lots of waiting around, to get basic service. My simple case is 8 days wait to see a foot doctor for advice of cast or surgery. Everyday delay mean delayed proper healing before i get treatment. I want to go private but i needed referral and find a good private clinic in town. More delay, more run around for a guy who has to hobble, less chance of good for a heal. Take dental and eye clinic, slap some cash on the counter and i will get service right away, i can even shop around for quality of service vs price. This free healthcare is ain't free, maybe in $ but one has to pay in other ways, time, delay, less successful treatment. i can feel the pain and agony from those who needed more vital treatment
8 weeks wait for cancer treatment
brain surgery cancelled twice
these 2 cases made it to the news, i bet many many more similar that didn't make the headline.
the reason the walk-in clinic and hospital emergency ward are over stressed because many canadians don't have a family doctor, so they have no choice but head to these 2 outlets
cash reward for tip finding a family doctor
compound the problem is trudy is importing 500,000 immigrants annually (not counting the illegal border entrants), they all have no family doctor, they all end up in emergency ward or walk-in clinics when they need healthcare.
What i'm seeing and experincing is less doctors wanted to work, or opted for early retirement or the good ones headed to greener pastures (IE US, europe). The remaining ones are less competent, just want to run their hospital and clinics are assembly line, get you out asap. Ex. Took my mom to a walk in clinic downtown ( a well staffed clinic), waited 3 hours, Got 2 presciption for treatment. I went to the pharmacy near closing time (9 pm), one prescription look normal but the second one only has 1 pill in the bottle. Told the pharmacist that this is impossible, it's a 7 days x 4 pill/day =28 pills. Pharmacist refuse to bulge because he can't reverse doctor's instruction. Had to go home and call up the doctor at the clinic about the 1 pill. She apologized for screwing up. It's a simple task but she failed that. I bet all of you have some unpleasant healthcare ventures.