Itβs definitely underfunded as others have said, but I will also add this - I had the opportunity on Saturday this past weekend to spend some time in the local emergency room due to a sports related injury. I got X-rays and a CT scan done and saw a Dr. And the cost to me personally was about 6 hours. The waiting was a bit long but I brought a book and some snacks, and everyone was super nice.
this post was submitted on 18 Sep 2023
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Asklemmy
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It's overburdened. We have a huge labour shortages for nurses and doctors as the boomers retire without enough replacements. Finding a regular family doctor takes a long time. When Covid spikes, the hospital staff are run ragged. But they make a nice living helping people, there are worse fields to work in.
When you need medical attention you get it. If you need surgery today, you get surgery today. If you need surgery or a specialist but there's no rush, you're on a wait list that can be months or even over a year long.
I'm in Sweden which I think has a very similar situation. Trying to get an appointment is a pain and they always seem to have too much to do. Getting help can drag on for years.
But then you end up in an emergency and suddenly you witness a well-oiled machine where everybody knows their role yet everybody prioritizes the big picture. It follows procedure when possible but it's always pragmatic.
It is beautiful competence porn, and costs $30 for the patient.
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I have no experience with healthcare outside of Canada but as a kid I was always taken for routine checkups. As a young adult I don't do regular checkups but that's mostly because I'm lazy and finding a doctor who will agree to give you regular checkups can be difficult.
I did have an experience where my vision became blurred and I passed out. Someone called an ambulance for me and I was seen by a doctor as soon as I got to the hospital.
They did some basic tests and decided whatever it was it wasn't immediately killing me so they referred me to a neurologist. Their office setup some appointments for me over the next week and I had all kinds of tests run. Then I was sent to a heart specialist who scheduled me for a bunch of tests the next week. At the end of it all both specialist decided I was perfectly healthy and I passed out because of an anxiety attack. They recommended I be less stressed. Thanks!
Between the hospital visit, the tests by the neurologist, and the tests by the cardiologist, I paid $45 for the ambulance and got my clean bill of health in about 2 weeks.