For Dave

[bandphan]

http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5jbjzPEY0Y3bvRD335rGu_Z3KXoQw

Love it when your right

 

[Davemcc]

I knew the president of the CMA a few years back. Even then, he was talking about the collapse of Canada's health care system. It has gotten worse since then and no significant changes have been made in that time.

One of my fellow Canadians often brings up the excellent cancer treatment that his relatives have received. I had forgotten but now remember that wait times for specific treatments was an issue in the last election and cancer wait times were at the top of the list. Following the election, the new gov't injected a ton of money into cancer treatment. In light of this, I'm not surprised that cancer victims receive adequate care. However, all of the illnesses and diseases that are not listed or prioritized by politicians still suffer from inadequate funding for research, equipment and facilities.

The one thing to remember in Canadian health care...it's all political. It's about winning or losing elections, not about saving lives or protecting quality of life. But in Canada it's about control, cradle to grave control for political ends over our very lives. Even the very limited and specialized private clinics are under constant attack and the only reason we have them in the first place is that the gov't lost a Supreme Court challenge. A patient challenged the gov't over extreme wait times, over a year or more, and won. The court decided that a delay in care was denial of care and constituted a denial of constitutional rights (since the gov't was the only source of health care).

I guess it's a good thing that there is no out of pocket expense for health care here because all the eroneous tests and treatments I've had so far have not improved my condition. It's akin to paying for multiple repairs and diagnostics for your car over the course of a year and not getting the problem fixed. We wouldn't tolerate that from a mechanic but that's my only option as a patient. I'm sure the doctors are happy though because they got paid for every test and wrong diagnosis along the way. I guess incompetence pays in our system.

 

[MinusTheBear]

Here is my latest experience of Canadas health care system in action. We all know davemcc stories so I thought I would share mine.

Last week my brother asked me to take him to the emergency. He was in no shape to drive so I brought him up there. We arrived at 9:10 a.m. A nurse attended to him within minutes to check his vitals (temperature, blood pressure, heart rate etc). He then waited 20 minutes in the waiting room until he was brought to an examination room. He waited another 10 minutes until a doc attended to him. The doc ran multiple tests on him including a urine sample which he did tests on. He was diagnosed by 10:10 a.m and left with a prescription in his hand (the ordeal took 1 hour). I drove to the pharmacy and he picked up the meds. He was home by 10:30 a.m, a week later he is healed.

 

[Rickster71]

I had the same experience in the USA last week.
Also a blood test. Total time 20 minutes.

Sounds like with our combined experiences health care is great in both countries! Case closed.

 

[billy p]

http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5jbjzPEY0Y3bvRD335rGu_Z3KXoQw

Love it when your right

Nobody said our system was prefect, but for the majority of us it works just fine. In some instance's like Dave has mentioned its doesn't work and one day I sure hope he finds out what ails him, but FWIW my wife and I, both work in health care and we've seen it from both sides.

Regards, Bill...

Just my 2 cents

 

[bandphan]

Nobody said our system was prefect, but for the majority of us it works just fine. In some instance's like Dave has mentioned its doesn't work and one day I sure hope he finds out what ails him, but FWIW my wife and I, both work in health care and we've seen it from both sides.

Regards, Bill...

Just my 2 cents

Thats what I took away from the article, that for many the system works fine and they are not affected by the failing portion

Doig says there are some "very good things" about Canada's health-care system, but she points out that many people have stories about times when things didn't go well for them or their family.


"(Canadians) have to understand that the system that we have right now - if it keeps on going without change - is not sustainable," said Doig.

"They have to look at the evidence that's being presented and will be presented at (the meeting) and realize what Canada's doctors are trying to tell you, that you can get better care than what you're getting and we all have to participate in the discussion around how do we do that and of course how do we pay for it."

 

[Davemcc]

In some instance's like Dave has mentioned its doesn't work and one day I sure hope he finds out what ails him,

Thanks. I hope so to. I think I finally have a good chance. My next test is an ultrasound looking for an inguinal hernia. After reading the symptoms online, I'm thinking that this is a very high probability, like 99%. So far, I've been treated and medicated for simple constipation, spastic colon, high stomach acid and colitis. The upshot of all this is that if it turns out to be a simple hernia, I've had to live and perform my physical labor job for well over a year with a hernia, even though the symptoms I've described to four doctors so far have all been accurate to suggest a hernia in the first place.

Here's the kicker and what I think is wrong with the system, or at least what's wrong with how I've been treated. After the last test that ruled out colitis, the doctor said he wanted to give me an ultrasound to look for the hernia. The ultrasound was scheduled six weeks from that day. Give me a break. Six weeks for an ultrasound??? Yet that's par for the course in my experience. Every test is scheduled no less than six weeks in advance and an appointment to find the results follows 4 to six weeks after the test. It's no wonder that 18 months gets eaten up in diagnosis. Is it an issue of competence, lack of funding, access to personnel or equipment? I don't know but I can say that I'll be pretty pissed if it turns out to be a simple hernia after been run through the medical system for over a year. It hasn't been fun.

 

[billy p]

Thanks. I hope so to. I think I finally have a good chance. My next test is an ultrasound looking for an inguinal hernia. After reading the symptoms online, I'm thinking that this is a very high probability, like 99%. So far, I've been treated and medicated for simple constipation, spastic colon, high stomach acid and colitis. The upshot of all this is that if it turns out to be a simple hernia, I've had to live and perform my physical labor job for well over a year with a hernia, even though the symptoms I've described to four doctors so far have all been accurate to suggest a hernia in the first place.

Here's the kicker and what I think is wrong with the system, or at least what's wrong with how I've been treated. After the last test that ruled out colitis, the doctor said he wanted to give me an ultrasound to look for the hernia. The ultrasound was scheduled six weeks from that day. Give me a break. Six weeks for an ultrasound??? Yet that's par for the course in my experience. Every test is scheduled no less than six weeks in advance and an appointment to find the results follows 4 to six weeks after the test. It's no wonder that 18 months gets eaten up in diagnosis. Is it an issue of competence, lack of funding, access to personnel or equipment? I don't know but I can say that I'll be pretty pissed if it turns out to be a simple hernia after been run through the medical system for over a year. It hasn't been fun.

Some of the issues you've described about our health care system are things that we've all endured at some point! However living in Canada isn't the real issue here, but the fact you were missed diagnosed from the start has been instrumental in your fustration, but that could've happened living anywhere, no? Now granted people living Stateside have Ultrasound, MRI, CT's and other things at their disposal, but just to be clear anybody coming through a ER triage can easily get the aformentioned services if your condition is dire or the attending physician requests it and that may or may not be fair. Besides we all must wait and even considering that I still wouldn't trade places with my brethren stateside....
PS: Good luck with your surgery, Bill..