Last Friday, I went to Burnaby General Hospital’s emergency room. My physician sent me there after postulating that my kidney may have an infection. I got there at 1pm and I was tucked into one of the beds by 1:35pm. I thought it was really speedy service and considered myself lucky. I’ve heard of the complaints about waiting time in our hospitals. On the other hand, I thought that this illness may be more serious than I expected; that’s why they got me is so quickly. I chose to believe that the ER was just having a slow day and I am enjoying the benefits of that.
I was put on IV therapy which meant I had to go to the ER everyday to get my dose of antibiotics. My visit on Saturday morning resulted in very speedy service too. I had to get an ultrasound and I didn’t wait long at all. Then off I went to get my IV dose of antibiotics. Then they decided to get a chest xray done to make sure it was not my left lung that was the problem. Again, just a short wait. Then I was done. All in all, I was there for 2 hours. I was impressed and began to think that the waiting time problem didn’t exist at Burnaby General.
My Sunday visit was the same. Hi, I’m here for my IV therapy. Less than ten minutes later, I was settling into my chair for more antibiotics. Throughout my visits to date, the nurses and doctors have been excellent. They were friendly and professional. I was very pleased and thought the taxes I am paying this month was money well spent.
For Monday’s visit, I got to the hospital at 3:50pm. And for the first time, I experienced the waiting time problem. I waited over three hours before they called me in. As it turned out, IV therapy can only be administered by a nurse. And on this day, there is only one nurse in the ER and she happened to be preparing a patient for surgery. I was SOL. Finally, at 7pm, I got called in. By 7:50, I was done. It really is just the luck of the draw. On some days, it’s good and on some days it’s not so good. Maybe more people got hurt because it’s a Monday. Who knows....
The good thing is, they switched me to oral medication. No more hospital visits!
Reflecting on my first real encounter with the hospital system, I consider myself so lucky to live in Canada. I have to say that to be able to walk into a hospital, present my Care Card, receive excellent treatment (inspite of the waiting time), and walk out the door without once handing over a credit card is amazing. I appreciate that I am able to lay there in the hospital and not worry about how I’m going to pay for all this. I realize that I do pay for it - I cringe at the portion of my salary that goes to the taxman every month - but not having to worry about paying for the tests and the treatment when I am shivering with a high fever is comforting. Inspite of all its problems, our health care system is pretty awesome.
I was put on IV therapy which meant I had to go to the ER everyday to get my dose of antibiotics. My visit on Saturday morning resulted in very speedy service too. I had to get an ultrasound and I didn’t wait long at all. Then off I went to get my IV dose of antibiotics. Then they decided to get a chest xray done to make sure it was not my left lung that was the problem. Again, just a short wait. Then I was done. All in all, I was there for 2 hours. I was impressed and began to think that the waiting time problem didn’t exist at Burnaby General.
My Sunday visit was the same. Hi, I’m here for my IV therapy. Less than ten minutes later, I was settling into my chair for more antibiotics. Throughout my visits to date, the nurses and doctors have been excellent. They were friendly and professional. I was very pleased and thought the taxes I am paying this month was money well spent.
For Monday’s visit, I got to the hospital at 3:50pm. And for the first time, I experienced the waiting time problem. I waited over three hours before they called me in. As it turned out, IV therapy can only be administered by a nurse. And on this day, there is only one nurse in the ER and she happened to be preparing a patient for surgery. I was SOL. Finally, at 7pm, I got called in. By 7:50, I was done. It really is just the luck of the draw. On some days, it’s good and on some days it’s not so good. Maybe more people got hurt because it’s a Monday. Who knows....
The good thing is, they switched me to oral medication. No more hospital visits!
Reflecting on my first real encounter with the hospital system, I consider myself so lucky to live in Canada. I have to say that to be able to walk into a hospital, present my Care Card, receive excellent treatment (inspite of the waiting time), and walk out the door without once handing over a credit card is amazing. I appreciate that I am able to lay there in the hospital and not worry about how I’m going to pay for all this. I realize that I do pay for it - I cringe at the portion of my salary that goes to the taxman every month - but not having to worry about paying for the tests and the treatment when I am shivering with a high fever is comforting. Inspite of all its problems, our health care system is pretty awesome.
