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Several months ago I was diagnosed as having a small hernia requiring repair. Took nearly 5 months to get a date for the operation. Today I received a phone call from the doctors office telling me they have recently been overwhelmed with breast cancer patients requiring operations. Would I consider giving up my scheduled operating room time so one of the breast cancer patients could be treated? I asked how long my surgery might be delayed and they were unable to even give me an estimate.

A little reluctantly I agreed. The reason for my reluctance was that I didn't travel this winter because I didn't know when I might be able to get in to the hospital. Now for all I know my summer may be impacted too.

What swayed my decision was that I have a wife and two daughters and I like to think if they were affected someone might make a similar decision in their favour.

The bottom line is, however, that our system is running so far behind in its ability to look after the population. There is not enough money available from the tax base to change this, we rely on lotteries for funds to cover medical research etc. What will our children be facing in another 10 or 20 years? Comments and opinions please.

Jim

I'm not really sure about a solution, or even a way to ease the problem. We need more hospitals and clinics.

In one respect, I think it's unfair to ask you to give up your place and not be able to provide an alternate date - especially if you've been waiting. I do understand however, if I needed cancer surgery, I would try very hard to get to the head of the line. Having said that, I think they should have to provide you with an acceptable alternative.

I wonder if the provincial government used secondary facilities - clinic sized - for certain surgeries or procedures traditionally performed by hospitals. I hesitate to use the phrase "simple surgeries". Even minor procedures get turn critical quickly. Since I'm not a doctor, I cannot think of a list that might qualify. There have to be procedures that people are going to hospitals for that can be done somewhere else.

Years ago, it was unusual to see groups of doctors in a "medical centre", complete with a pharmacy, lab and physio offices. This is more common now, and is a great way for doctors and pharmacists to reduce their overhead. Perhaps they could expand on the idea - located close to a hospital, in case things go wrong.

Steve,

I don't really have any suggestions myself. I wasn't and am not looking for sympathy as my hernia is not giving me any pain. Other than being careful about any lifting I do my quality of life hasn't been impacted very much.

It was just a case of the circumstances bringing to the front of my thinking the problems existing in our health system. When you do not need medical services it isn't something you think about.

I had hoped some others might chime in with their thoughts.

Jim

I suspect that the speed with which you will receive treatment is directly dependent on the seriousness of what ails you. I was diagnosed with blood-marrow cancer in June of 2011 in a Saskatchewan emergency ward. This occurred after a three hour wait because there appeared to be more serious matters ahead of me. There had been no suggestion of cancer prior to that - everyone was taken by surprise. My family was contacted after I was admitted and told that I was not expected to survive so they'd best come asap. I was admitted that night, further progression of the cancer was halted and I was immediately referred to the local cancer centre - all within about six days as I recall. By September 2012 I'd completed several courses of chemo and received a stem cell transfer. The cancer went into remission. In my experience the treatment is there if you need it. I don't mean by that to minimize your hernia, but I suspect that your case is being carefully managed.

I'm glad that things went well for you, Crabby. It's a terrible thing staring at that.



But I do sympathize with you, Jim, and still believe that they should have provided you with an alternate date.

Crabby might have something though. The urgency of the other person's situation was obviously a concern or they wouldn't have asked.

Having more facilities would ease the backlog, but means the government would need more money. We're squeezed pretty tight by them now. It would be difficult to come up with more cash.

I will point out that it wasn't just the one person I made room for. They said their office had been overwhelmed with breast cancer cases at this time. Obviously I wasn't the only one they contacted with a request to give up operating room time. As said by Crabby it is good to hear that serious cases are given high priority and as a result good treatments are occurring.

I consider myself fortunate to have gone 50 years since the last time I had to go under the knife and this for only a minor matter. Thanks for the comments.

Jim

I wonder about Canadas health care system. We, in the states talk about how bad your health care is. I know a lady that grew up in Manitoba and she said it is not half as bad as the U.S.A. sais it is. It may not be so good in the east side though. How happy are you Canadians with your health care up there?

You will be looked after when really needed. A friend in northern BC mother had a heart attack, went to the local small hospital, they called the air ambulance (cessena citation), she was in Vancouver within 3hrs for treatment, all tax payer funded.
Our friends to the south have been fed allot of propaganda on health care. In Canada the wages are higher (for average folks), taxes are higher, we still live and play like americans, if you want to work you can do very well with out the worry of a disease or accident wiping out your finacials. Ya , could be better in that it takes time for elected surgeries. Like I said to flavour, if you want to see the future , just drive 2 hours north.

That's not what I hear. I know of several folks born in Canada who live in the States....they travel back to Canada for their medical work.

Mostly happy, most of the time. Quality of care has been much like US where I have also lived and been treated. Cost to patient is much lower in Canada. I had a severe multi-year eye disease that began while living in the States and by the time I had worked my way to the top specialists in Seattle, they recommended that I go to a surgeon in Canada. He was the best at treating my condition, and the docs in Seattle changed their treatment of similar patients to fit what he recommended.

OTOH, have abandoned docs on both sides of the border in the course of my lifetime because I had no confidence in them. Regency Blue Shield in the US dropped my health insurance coverage in the early stage of my multi-year disease and my loathing for that company is deep.

It can be slow in Canada but if diagnosed as severe, you usually go to the head of the line. My severe eye problem moved me to the front of the line. OTOH a friend with breast cancer was put on a waiting list so she went to the US. She had been treated and was healed from surgery before she would have gotten her first specialist appointment in Canada. She would probably have been dead by then. She lived another vigorous 9 years after having been given 6 months.

Re giving up your surgery date: When 3 weeks out from my most dicey eye surgery in a series, the surgeon asked if I would give up my operating room reservation to a severe case from Israel if the lady could get visa etc. to get here in time. I gave up my slot, and in the extra month I waited my eye healed far more than any of us anticipated making the surgery much less harzardous to recovering my sight.

Thank you for giving up the slot to somone evidently in greater need. Another anecdote: Six months ago my wife was in severe back pain making her an invalid. She was put on an urgent Canadian waiting list of 3-6 months to get a needed MRI, with no promise of any time frame. We paid a private MRI clinic, made an appointment at 9:00 AM and had it all done with copies in our hand by 3:00 PM, and a doctor's interpretation of the results within 48 hours.

IMO the Canadian system is pretty good but on a trajectory to unsustainability. The US version of socialized medicine is an avalanching disaster getting worse all of the time.

Health care in Canada is only free to the ones without a job and certain ethnics. It is tax funded.

I live in a small town, and it is a struggle to get an appointment with our family practioner. The quality of care is good. To get an MRI, we have to travel 225 miles, but the province of Ontario gives us a travel grant to help defray the costs. Again - that is not free -- it comes in the form of higher taxes.

A O Bush, our health care system was sick pre-Obama care and needed some serious and wide ranging changes. Tort reform was one--liability costs were very high do to a litigious culture. But the lawyer lobby group, the biggest and strongest, put pressure on congress so that went nowhere. Second, allow insurance policies to be "mobile"; that is cross state lines, so a job change doesn't mean losing your present policy which you like. Make these policies competitive in that way. Thirdly, cover pre-existing conditions. And finally, yes, let's devise a program to cover the thirty million uncovered poor, indigent, etc.

This could have been cobbled up in a twenty page bill instead of the "War and Peace" monstrosity that this president and congress unilaterally foisted on us that is going to effect 18% of our economy. It contains over 200,000 regulations and laws as I write. It's not just a health care bill; it's an economy dampening, freedom limiting bill. It will ration care that is much more expensive. My generation and those behind will not get the care my parents generation did if this rolling disaster goes forward.

God-willing, after the 2016 elections, we can rescind it.

Wish all my northern neighbors a great weekend.

George

I guess everyone has an opinion. A friends sisters moved from MT to Alberta. They comment was to never let the Canadian system come to the U.S.

Jim

You're a good and honorable man for doing what you did. I'm glad to know there are people like you on this planet.

AS time goes on and as mentioned we are on the road to unsustainability, the voter will be more demanding of stream lining the process, medi-care is near and dear to Canadian voters. Many times the Doctor is just a prescription writing service. Our system will evolve and improve in efficiency, there is lot of room for that.

I wish I held your optimism.

I have had several health problems,I Thank god for Canadian health care.I would be dead with out it..I think that Americans have been told a lot of B.S about our system,and by people who have health care themselves..

Our system just needs more money...instead of giving every country in the world a leg up, they should invest a little more in us. I waited 4 months for the hernia operation....

And our system needs less red tape for new doctors, I know an american born and trained doctor that married a Canadian, and they made her prove she could speak english before letting her practice [among other things].

I am US Citizen, but had an occasion to experience the Canadian Health are services firsthand. I had a horrific accident while Moose hunting in New Brunswick a couple of years ago. The stand I was in shattered and caused me to fall about 12' and land on my head. I managed to get to the closest hospital 125 miles away. There they Cat scanned my brain, and my neck. Took 25-30 X=Rays and gave me 3 shots. I was there for 4 hours, hands-on treatment. I gave them my insurance card. I was "fearful" of what the cost would be. They billed me $1806 dollars. Hell here in the states, that amount will rarely get you an Aspirin in the ER!

If you fell and damaged your head it's a wonder they didn't make you an honourary citizen so you could pay taxes without questioning them. (Remember this is all tongue in cheek.)

Jim