Dear Editor,

Of the many very good things about being Canadian, our access to universal health care must rank at or near the top. Regardless of how rich or poor you are, regardless of your circumstances, you have unlimited access to the best health care available. When considering what life would be like without this benefit, one has only to look south and review some of the health care horror stories coming out of the US. Having said that, our system is far from perfect.

I have been forced to visit the Emergency Room at the Hawkesbury General Hospital (HGH) twice in the last couple of years and I have to say I was both times surprised and disappointed. Not with the treatment. It was the wait times. In one case I waited 3.5 hours to see a doctor. The other was 17. Yep, 17 hours. This is not right. This is not how it is supposed to be in Canada.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I am a big fan of the HGH. Going to the HGH ER starts well. Registration is speedy and efficient; triage happens soon after arrival and is very professional. But that is followed by being sentenced to the packed waiting room where the hours seem like days.

To be fair, when I did finally get to see a doctor, it went like clockwork. Maybe three minutes for a diagnosis (double pneumonia), another 20-25 for confirmation with the X-Ray team, a further 20 minutes for the doctor to double check and write the prescription and I was gone. Doctors, nurses, med techs, all highly skilled, very professional and polite.  Even the security guard and the guy mopping the floor were friendly.

I was taught to never present a problem without also putting forward a solution. I have three. One, the triage. Every nurse I have ever known was pretty switched on and skilled and the more experienced ones even more so. There is no doubt that these nurses are quite capable of recognizing and treating many of the normal, commonplace complaints and ailments that patients present in the ER. It would require only that they, the nurses, be allowed to prescribe basic drugs and the crush in the waiting room would be much diminished. And they are also smart enough to know when someone really does have to see a doctor.

Two. Some say the problem is not enough doctors, nurses and medical technicians. How about this? Anyone who applies to become a doctor, nurse or med tech, and who meets the entry requirements, is given full tuition. If they pass, they owe the government two years service as a General Practitioner, Nurse or Medical Technician anywhere in Ontario the government needs them.

And three, remind our provincial government representatives that yes, this is a big deal to us, and they are responsible for fixing the problem.

If you have what you think are better ideas, let’s hear them. Start writing. And don’t forget it’s our elected representatives who we expect to carry, and support, our thoughts to the Ontario government. Because we have to do something. This is ridiculous.

Respectfully,

Colin Affleck

Champlain Township