Canadian Healthcare Shame

We Canadians like to look down our noses when it comes to comparing our health care system to that of the United States but today I've been put in my place.

My sister-in-law is gravely ill and has been hospitalized for the past two weeks in New Brunswick. Not only are her doctors divided about what the cause of her illness is...some say cancer while others say it isn't...but tomorrow they're sending her off to another hospital for more tests. They're doing this by having her daughter drive her mother one hour to the other hospital...apparently there isn't an available ambulance in the province to transport this seriously ill woman.

My sister-in-law is jaundiced, in pain, with only the strength to crawl out of bed to the bathroom but our government health services see fit to send her on a one hour car trip which will certainly be an ordeal for her. They'll kindly send her back to her current hospital in an ambulance, though.

In Canada, our personal taxes are very high compared to the U.S. but we accept that much of it goes to ensuring we won't be bankrupted should we need medical care. But what level of care are we expecting, should be expecting? It certainly isn't what I'm seeing for my sister-in-law.

To take a seriously ill woman from her hospital bed and force her to drive in a private car for an hour to another hospital for tests is nothing less than criminal.

Maybe we Canadians are taking too much for granted with our health care system and maybe we should be demanding accountability from hospitals who treat their patients in this way. Over the years I've seen a decrease in efficiency and quality of our health care but I'm truly shocked by this last episode. I'm definitely not blaming the doctors or nurses but I do blame the hospital administrators if they continue to accept public funds when they can't provide decent care. The public is well aware that millions of dollars are being wasted by inept administrators but we're helpless to stop it. How did such a wonderful concept (socialized health care provided for all Canadians) lose it's way?

I have another sister-in-law who practiced law until she retired. Maybe we are seeing a lawsuit in the making.