 |
 |
Terry, Just want you to know that I'm not talking about Canada without having been there. I live in Buffalo, a quaint border town which used to be a big city! But I have a little place about 3 hours north of Toronto, just east of the Muskoka region, where the jet-setters hang out. Sounds like the region you live in is similar, but I bet, in typical western style, that the landscape is bigger and more majestic. My area of Ontario is hills and lakes and little one-horse (or one-traffic light) towns. Yes, that's right. I'm a cottager. I know, thru talking to folks and having friends up there, that your system is imperfect, as is ours. One guy I know in Haliburton was on a long waiting list for knee-replacement surgery, and I've heard stories on CBC about a First Nations group who was actually so sick of waiting that they bought their own MRI machine. I'm glad you haven't had any serious problems getting to a neurologist. My friends up north have waited a bit for appointments, and being out in the sticks they have to drive an hour and a half to get to Barrie, where their (not PD) specialist is. Enjoy the holidays! Rick McGirr Email: [log in to unmask] ----- Original Message ----- From: "Terry Robertson" <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Thursday, December 01, 2005 7:05 PM Subject: Canadian waiting times! >A previous writer commented: > "By the way, if you only waited a month for an appt., count yourself > lucky. My neuro is untouchable less than three months in advance, > and I'm not a new patient. I'm sure our Canadian members can chime > in on the subject of waiting for healthcare..." > > Waiting times for healthcare in Canada varies considerably and what > they are, depends on many factors, not the least of which is who you > talk to. It seems to be a function of where you live, what > particular health problem you have, and how serious your symptoms > are. > In my case, my GP initially referred me to a neurologist when my > symptoms were quite slight. The appointment was first scheduled for > over five months later. A month or so passed and I went back to the > GP when my symptoms were more evident and detailed some additional > things I noticed that had been happening over time that I had not > mentioned on my earlier visit. He said he would try to get me an > appointment sooner. I ended up seeing a neurologist two weeks later. > I am already booked for a six month follow-up with the neurologist, > but he said I could see him sooner if I needed to. > I live in the Okanagan Valley, a region of British Columbia with a > mix of urban and rural/agricultural lifestyle. Because of it's mild > climate it is popular with summer tourists and retirees. Maybe it is > popular with the medical community also, or perhaps I have just been > lucky in that I have never experienced excessive waiting periods for > medical services. Now that I have PD, I guess I will have even more > exposure to the system, but as I was only recently diagnosed, only > time will tell. > There are limited resources and a finite number of doctors, in both > Canada and the USA, and from what I understand, we just ration the > systems differently. Contrary to some stories that may be > circulating, most Canadians want improvements to our medicare > system, but very few want to scrap it or exchange it for a private > system. > It would be really interesting to hear from other PWP in Canada and > elsewhere about their personal experiences with wait times relating > to PD for surgery, drug costs, access to specialists and how they > feel about the rapport they have with their doctors! > -Terry > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: > mailto:[log in to unmask] > In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn