December 15, 2002
Free Healthcare??
Canada is often praised as a fine example of free health care and don’t get me wrong, compared to a lot of other health care systems around the world, ours is superior.But it is not the best nor is it as great as it could be.Most importantly, it is not as good as it is advertised to be.I say this because I have a hard time with the word ‘free.’When you have to wait six weeks to find out if your cancer is treatable, three months for an MRI to determine the source of debilitating pain and when you are waving an epi pen at everything in sight because your child’s face is puffing up at every turn ( there is a six week wait for an emergency allergist appointment), free doesn't sound so good.We pay for this with time, pain, frustration and stress.On the plus side, when you finally do receive your ‘free’ health care, it is usually quite good but there is no ignoring that the wait is just too long.
I don’t have any perfect answers and I do not blame the health care providers for this mess.I do blame the government, its bureaucracy and its politics...The doctors, nurses and patients know what our healthcare system needs yet the politicians often make these crucial decisions behind closed doors with budget and re-election factors on their minds.I want to get into one of these closed door meetings and scream “Stop cutting healthcare and scaring the pants off people.”We need more nurses, doctors, specialists, triage clinics and medical equipment.Maybe if we had fully equipped clinics available on-site at hospitals……maybe if we had a two-tiered healthcare system.I am not sure what the best answer is.I just know that I am afraid to get really sick and need some immediate care as the wait is just too great!