Thursday, February 2, 2023

No products in the cart.

  • About
    • Contributors
    • Disclaimers
    • Terms & Conditions
    • Giving back
    • Mission Statement
    • Past Issues
    • Where to Find
    • Call us at 613-935-3763
  • Advertise With Us!
 
 
  • Home
  • News
  • Opinions
  • Lifestyle
  • Events
  • Columnists
  • Videos
No Result
View All Result
No Result
View All Result

Agree to disagree : I ain’t no doctor, but I’m losing my patience!

Julia Lucio by Julia Lucio
March 24, 2017
in Opinions
Reading Time: 3 mins read
37
SHARES
87
VIEWS

You might also like

LTE re Committee – Recreation, culture and place making

Protesters of Bill 23 felt unwelcome when meeting MPP Quinn

LTE – Charity Intelligence Fails: Why Canada Needs a New Charity Watchdog

I’ve been seeing a lot of complaining lately about our hospital and its wait times.
First of all, let me say that coming from a city where a 12-16 hour wait to see a doctor is the norm, not the exception, I am floored to see so many grievances. I’ve been to our hospital countless times and I can honestly say that the most I’ve ever waited was 3 hours. I’m usually in and out within 1 to 1.5 hours.

Now maybe that’s because I’m lucky, but maybe it’s simply because I don’t visit the hospital unless absolutely necessary?

Our health system is based on priority care. If you are visiting the EMERGENCY, it should be because you have a condition that cannot wait. When I took my son there after he had a skateboarding incident and broke his foot, which was dangling to the right at the end of his leg, practically unattached to it, they took him in a room right away and didn’t even ask me for his card until after he was in.

When I visited because I was having chest pains and thought it was a heart attack, they pulled me out of triage and set me up on an ECG right away.

However, when I visited because my 5 year old had a rash, I waited longer.

I know there are not many walk-in clinics in Cornwall, which means that there is automatically a wait regardless of where you go, but if you choose to go to the ER for the sniffles rather to your family doctor if you have one, please don’t complain that more urgent cases are seen ahead of you. If you do, you really don’t know how good we have it here, in Canada.

While visiting family in Texas last summer, my son got a rash. Yes, that same rash I ended up having him seen for here, upon my return.

I took him to a clinic first. A nurse practitioner diagnosed him with scabies. It didn’t look at all like scabies to me, but what do I know? I’m not a doctor. $584 later–$400 for the visit and a whooping $184 in ointment–he got worse. I called my insurance company back and asked if he could see a doctor. They sent me to a hospital.

$2500 later–$1800 for the ER, $600 for the doctor and $100 medication, he was diagnosed with impetigo. It didn’t look like impetigo to me, but what do I know? I’m not a doctor. Nonetheless, I suggested it could perhaps be Poison Ivy? “It could be,” the doctor answered. “It could be.”

Not very reassuring. They still treated him for impetigo.

Turns out it was Poison Ivy.

That whole incident in the wonderful U S of A would have ran me a over $3000 US Dollars (That’s 4000 or our dollars) for a wrong diagnosis. And I still waited. I waited probably more than I ever waited at our wonderful ER.

Our system is not perfect, I know that. But we are lucky that whenever we are sick or even just worried about being sick, we can walk into a clinic or an ER and be seen by a qualified doctor for FREE! I know, you may have to wait, spend time being a bit bored, but think about it! It doesn’t cost you a penny! Not a cent! Zip! Nada! There is even WIFI at our hospitals now, bring a phone, a tablet or a laptop. Play a video game or two, do some work even. If you feel like being in a waiting room is a waste of your precious time, then perhaps you shouldn’t be there. And if you’re just impatient because you feel you’ve waited enough, bare in mind that more urgent cases are being tended to, lives are being saved!

We’re lucky that health care is a right in Canada, not a luxury like it is in so many other countries! Cherish that! Appreciate that! Think about THAT next time you’re waiting.

And for crying out loud, PLEASE quit complaining!

Author

  • Julia Lucio
    Julia Lucio

    Managing Editor, Julia writes editorial pieces about social issues and politics, as well as travel pieces.

    View all posts

Next Post
Cornwall Motor Speedway

Cornwall Motor Speedway honours their 2016 champions!

 
 
 
 
Facebook Twitter Instagram Youtube TikTok
Don't miss anything!

Get notified of all our new news by ringing the bell at the bottom left corner!

Content Safety

HERO

theseeker.ca

Trustworthy

Approved by Sur.ly

2022
The Seeker Newspaper is located at 327 Second Street E., Cornwall, ON K6H 1Y8 -- All rights reserved
The Seeker does not accept responsibility for errors, misprints or inaccuracies published within. The opinions and statements of our columnists are not to be presumed as the statements and opinions of The Seeker, and should not substitute professional or medical advice.
ISSN 2562-1750 (Print)

ISSN 2562-1769 (Online)
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Opinions
  • Lifestyle
  • Events
  • Columnists
  • Videos

© 2023 JNews - Premium WordPress news & magazine theme by Jegtheme.

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.