Yes, it has lots of problems.
I know there are problems. I'm an IBCLC, my mom is a retired nurse, and there are a couple doctors in Roo's family. So yes, I know there are problems with the medical system in BC.
But it also often works.
Viz.:
2:20 pm. I got a little bit concerned about the fact that Amelia is now barfing bile & isn't keeping even fluids down. I called the BC Health Line which is staffed by RN's who take you through a list of symptoms & then their computer spits our a recommendation. Like, call 911; go to emerg; go see a dr. today; go see a dr. tomorrow; go see dr. within a week if symptoms don't resolve. That kind of thing. Our result was "patient should be seen by physician today". Because there's a concern about the appendix. OK.
2:40 p.m. Call dr.'s office to inquire how busy they are today. They can see her in 1/2 an hour.
3:10 p.m. See dr. He thinks we're looking at a virus. Doesn't see any problems with appendix. Does requisition a urine test, in case this is an asymptomatic bladder infection. Wants to see her again tomorrow a.m. Gives me directions to an evening clinic staffed by pediatricians, to which I can take Amelia tonight if I think she's getting worse.
3:25 p.m. Walk across the street so that Amelia can pee in a cup.
3:50 p.m. Amelia is home on the couch, reluctantly sipping Pedialyte.
An hour & a half, and mom is feeling reassured.
And it was all free. None of my decisions were at all affected by any thought about whether I could afford to take her to the doctor. That is an amazing luxury. We gripe about this system a lot. And yes, it can be improved. But for the majority of the world's population, what we have here is nothing short of miraculous.
***Different Topic that doesn't merit its own post***
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3 comments:
Hi! I found you through Kim (chord of 3 strands) I have enjoyed reading your posts.
I was looking at your curriculum post and thought I would share something. We use Prima Latina and love it! It is a Christian based program, not as much as R&S, but still Christian. I have found it to be extremely thorough and very user friendly. I have no Latin history and the program does not make me feel like I am an utter moron. Hope you don't mind the unsolicited info!
Have a great day!
Laney
I like our system (of course it, too, has its faults), though it was very nice to only pay $25 CDN for my non-Canadian kids to see a doc, quickly, when we were in Alberta. Plusses and minuses to both ways.
I'm curious about the phone system. If the phone system says that you should see a doc later in the week, and you feel that you should see one RIGHT NOW just on instinct, can you still go RIGHT NOW?
I hope Amelia is feeling better now.
Hi Stephanie,
Thanks, Amelia is feeling much better now.
In answer to your question - yes, you absolutely can see a dr. or just go to ER if your gut tells you to do so. This phoneline was just developed so that people could ask questions & have a nurse as a sounding board for whether a certain group of symptoms is serious or not. You can also call for general information about health etc. Or you can not use it at all - many people don't.
During the evening, our doctor also has "dr. by phone" service which serves a similar purpose, & some of the night drs. will even do housecalls for when things are iffy but don't merit a visit to emerg.
It's all part of a plan to keep emerg for true emergencies. There's also a shortage of family physicians in Canada & so we need to make sure the resources are used appropriately.
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