BY STEVEN KASZAB
Went to the emergency department in Newmarket this weekend. The wait time was absolutely crazy; eight hours for a nurse to tell me to go elsewhere. Most of the visitors to the emergency department were obviously there because of respiratory problems, coughing much, and constantly. Surprisingly a few people did not wear their masks, so a security guard went to them and told them to read the posters laid everywhere saying wearing a mask in the E.R. was mandatory.
I had to go to a walk-in clinic, wait 1 1/4 hours to speak to a doctor and was told to go to the E.R. After telling the doctor where I had been, he wrote me two prescriptions. Asking if this will help me, he said, “It will not hurt,” and shrugged. An old fella with a lot of experience, and well-worn patience to serve.
Has our government learned anything from the fiasco of the pandemic? Have they hired more: essential workers, nurses, candy stripers and more doctors? Is there some sort of plan that will make our system perform better than previously?
In the E.R., one doctor was caring for well over fifty patients, and five nurses assisted. It seemed the nurses were doing much more than previously, carrying out practices once done by doctors alone. That was good to see, but one doctor for fifty patients? The walk-in clinic had five doctors practicing at the time of my visit, more than the hospital E.R.
I don’t know about you, but I am feeling like we live in a third world country, where getting sick is often a death sentence. My brother-in-law has been dealing with several specialists trying to correctly identify his illness and carry out the appropriate triage. His legs are swollen twice the normal size, going black and blue, with water seeping out of his legs. He is in constant pain. When he attempted to see his family doctor it took three months. It took almost nine months to see the first specialist. It is like going to a casino, where you never know if the next “specialist” actually can identify the illness and prescribe the proper treatment. The illness is holding all the good cards, and my brother-in-law is S.O.L.
The government keeps claiming to give new money to the healthcare system, but nothing improves. People are dying from the flu and RSV-Covid. Even simple medical treatments and surgeries result in infections that end up killing the patients. A witch doctor may have a better chance of curing and treating the ill. I respect our medical profession, but many “specialists” are lazy ass elitists with no compassion for their patients. They will make an appointment with you, a zoom meeting that takes three months to happen. Three months. If you want to see them in person it can take a year or longer.
Did you know the natural-path side of medicine is doing very well, a booming sector. Why? Well, because even their magical potions are better used than having to wait for an appointment with specialists and even your family doctor if you’re so lucky to have one.