Alex in Wonderland
It had to happen, didn't it?
So far, I've been one of the lucky few (?) many (?) who have had nothing but marvelous service from our health care system.
Then, about 5 weeks ago, I developed a strange new ache in my right collarbone. Went to the doctor. He sent me for an x-ray. Inconclusive. Get an ultrasound.
Now the fun begins.
Guess how long I have to wait for an ultrasound? Three weeks. That's 3 weeks of pain and discomfort, expecially at night when I should be sleeping.
Now, look. I haven't lost my sight or the use of my legs and I'm not in unbearable pain and misery. Nevertheless...
I phone a dozen places. No way. This place doesn't do ultrasound. That place only does one shoulder a day. "What if you did 2?" I dare to ask. "Would our noses fall off? Would Lonsdale slip into the sea? Would American Idol show up on CPAC?"
This wait, I learn, is the norm.
Today, I finally realize my dream. Ultrasound Morning. One shop, 900,000 people pushing, shoving, sweating, breathing. Mostly women terrfied of breast cancer and lining up for their mammographies. Lovely.
The technician, a middle-aged, non-nonsense gal from eastern Europe, barks out her various orders to me. Please and Thank You are conspicuously absent. What should I care? Just get the procedure done. Right?
The examination room - the one with the $1.25 ultrasound machine that's been in use since the French revolution - is a closet. A cold, ugly closet. What Gulag are we in?
O.K. I haven't been left to croak on a gurney in emergency. Not yet. But still...nevertheless...
Yikes. Is this the best we can do?
1 comment:
David,
I know I speak for everyone when I say that I hope things turn out okay for you. Please keep us posted at your discretion.
There's something I've been thinking about and need to better formulate my thoughts on. But in a nutshell, it's this: Why is is that Canadians take great pride and make great money in building and exporting software, timber, cars, grain, and a whole host of other things. Is it too far fetched to ask why an industrious, highly educated society like us isn't offering to foreigners our health care services? Yes, for a profit. Instead, we're immersed in a perpetual financial & waiting crisis with health care.
If/when you have that monthly you-know-what discussion, I wonder if this wouldn't be an excellent topic to discuss. A definite paradigm shift in thinking to be sure.
Robert
Post a Comment