You don’t have a family doctor, and you can’t get an admission bed. So you end up waiting and waiting in the ER for a physician who might not be able to help much, writes Dr. Brian Wall.
I dunno what’s the situation in the other provinces, but I remember in Quebec that there were walk-in clinics before.
Now they all need to be scheduled through a system that if you’re not fast enough (between a specific time slot where the appointment for the next day are opening up) you cannot get a time slot.
You’re doubly-screwed if you’re not comfortable using a computer, and calling 8-1-1 will make you wait for up to an hour before you even get to talk to someone about your issue and determine if you need an appointment.
The ER is the healthcare system safety valve, but it can only eject so much pressure before it becomes a bomb.
I dunno what’s the situation in the other provinces, but I remember in Quebec that there were walk-in clinics before.
Now they all need to be scheduled through a system that if you’re not fast enough (between a specific time slot where the appointment for the next day are opening up) you cannot get a time slot.
You’re doubly-screwed if you’re not comfortable using a computer, and calling 8-1-1 will make you wait for up to an hour before you even get to talk to someone about your issue and determine if you need an appointment.
The ER is the healthcare system safety valve, but it can only eject so much pressure before it becomes a bomb.