Upcoming surgery

[Landdownunder]

My cholesterol medication prescription expired, pharmacy extended it one month. I called Dr's. office, tell them the situation and ask if the Dr would prescribe another year without an appointment. Nope, Dr hasn't seen you in a year. Because we can view our own lab results online, I know my test results are good. So I needed to make an appointment, I called Oct, 31st..... first opening is December 11th.
What if I really needed to see the Dr for something serious? Their reply is to go to the emergency room(or Sask's Urgent Care Center now that one is open in Regina) So there you go, and if it isn't a true emergency but is still something that can't wait 5 and a half weeks.... "there" you sit in the ER triage queue.

Broken

p.s., I was given a blood work requisition the last time I saw the Doc. Test results provide reference ranges for the patient to compare their results to.

You got huge doctor shortage?
We've got all nationalities of docs Indian Pakistani poms dutch and quite alot of South African doctors that fled the country over last 15 yrs lots and lots

[TSIPP]

In Canada we have free healthcare but a pretty good chance you die waiting for the care.

[farmaholic]

Sorry, that just sounds like the vet system to me and not terribly unreasonable Lol

Vet needs to see a pet once a year for a physical, prescriptions are 12 months worth so that they can reevaluate once a year.

A GP wanting to see a patient annual isn’t something we should be aiming to eliminate. Maybe they just need to mail you a postcard with puppies and kittens on it reminding you it’s time to book an annual visit?

At the pharmacy my prescription auto refills, I know when I'm out by keeping track of the refills left. I had two weeks plus of meds left when the pharmacy extended it a month.

In a system that is overtaxed, what would be wrong with just renewing it for another year? The office would have got blood test results.... look at them, and they'd realize I probably wouldn't need to take a valuable appointment slot.

So I guess next time I need to start the process a month earlier.
If I felt I "NEEDED" to see the doctor based on the blood test results or another issue.... I'd gladly take the valuable appointment slot. You can bet I'll be doing my part to build efficiency into the system by asking for a requisition at this next appointment for next fall's blood work.... instead of making an appointment to get it.

YAY RIDERS!

[Landdownunder]

Edit hospital numbers below just a google I did a quick add up was roughly similar one could argue thats why its quicker to get fixed in private and blanket comment "more private hospital than needed per head of capita" dunno tis what it is.
Maybe it's easier for private hospitals to flourish in australia?? Maybe the govt give incentives to them to get people off public line up?? no idea just asking conservative govt of years gone by wanted 40 plus% of Australians to have private never been reached I presume.
Current left govt bit of an oxymoron at times want free healthcare for all but those that can afford to pay have to....dog chasing its tail comment
There are
15 public hospitals in metropolitan Adelaide, and 31 private hospitals in the state of South Australia mostly in Adelaide and to confuse it more 2 have both private and public in same hospital no idea how that works.

Someone mention travel insurance had a look it cost me $315 for 12 days in texas oklahoma etc Full 100% cover but chasing tornadoes was deemed high risk so that was weighed into premium plus camera gear got extra cover on top was $80 plus cochlear implant extra cover another think extra $40. Paid out $1450 for front camera lens in a incident down near Mexican border cameras videos shit went flying everywhere inside the car few deep breathes on we went.

[farmaholic]

You got huge doctor shortage?
We've got all nationalities of docs Indian Pakistani poms dutch and quite alot of South African doctors that fled the country over last 15 yrs lots and lots

I don't know if there would be a shortage if there wasn't both patient and doctor abuse of the system.

No out of pocket cost to patient and doctors who keep patients coming back on unnecessary follow ups or the prescription situation I just explained.

I'm not saying all follow ups are bogus or most people visit the Dr for no good reason.

Rural hospitals have a hard time retaining doctors.
Maybe if we educated more of our own citizens to be doctors they would be satisified working in or close to communities they were raised in. But instead I think they have to bribe foreign doctors to service those areas.

[Landdownunder]

Do your small towns say 4/500 people still have a local chemist where you can pick up prescriptions?

[farmaholic]

Do your small towns say 4/500 people still have a local chemist where you can pick up prescriptions?

I think most communities that have a semblance of a hospital also have a pharmacy.

[Blaithin]

I’d say most towns over 500-700 have a pharmacy.

Hospitals and doctors offices are much more thinly spread.

[farmaholic]

I thought that in Sask the healthcare system is trying to let Nurse Practioners and Pharmacists handle some of the simple ailments and alleviate the load on Drs, urgent care, and yes, even ERs in cases when people who use them instead of their GP or don't have one.

[farmaholic]

Blaithin, ironically I bet I could see a vet sooner than my doctor.