Thursday, November 9, 2017

‘Insane’ wait time of 4.5 years for new patients to see specialist, Canadian doctor says...It's a race to death!

‘Insane’ wait time of 4.5 years for new patients to see specialist, Canadian doctor says

‘Insane’ wait time of 4.5 years for new patients to see specialist, Canadian doctor says
A Canadian doctor said she was “shocked” after trying to refer one of her patients to a neurologist and was told the wait time was 4.5 years. (Image source: YouTube screenshot) 

What happened?

  • Canadian doctor Joy Hataley, a family practice anesthetist in Kingston, Ontario, told CTV News she was “shocked” after trying to refer one of her patients to a neurologist at Kingston General Hospital and was told in a letter the wait time for new patients is 4.5 years.
  • The outlet said that while Hataley was used to long wait times — particularly from specialists — she called the 4.5-year delay “insane.”
  • “Initially I was just a bit stunned,” she told CTV News Toronto on Friday. “I actually thought I misread it.”
  • “I put my reading glasses on — because I am that age — to check if it was a 1.5,” Hataley added. “I couldn’t fathom it was a 7.5. I walked to a physician’s room nearby me just to verify that I was actually reading 4.5.”
  • She said such a wait time deems the referral moot: “Who knows what happens in 4.5 years?” Hataley noted to CTV News Toronto. “Will we even remember that we had a consult? Will we still be on the list?”
  • Hataley posted an image of the letter to Twitter and asked Ontario Health Minister Eric Hoskins and Kingston MPP Sophie Kiwala for an explanation:

What is Hataley saying about Canadian patient wait times in general?

  • “I sense that this is not a problem, I perceive, to be in isolation,” she told CTV News. “This issue is an issue for people across the country.”
  • “I don’t think this is the norm by any stretch of the imagination,” Hataley added, “but [the fact that] it even occurs at all is shocking.”
  • She also told the outlet she believes the system has “hit a wall.”
  • “My main message is: We need timely, consistent and reliable health care in our province and we do not have it,” she told CTV News.

What are other Canadian doctors saying?

  • Dr. Shawn Whatley, president of the Ontario Medical Association, told CTV News the wait times are “atrocious.”
  • Wealthier patients at least can travel to get care faster, he told the outlet, which creates “a massive two-tiered system.”
  • “We’ve known about it for 15 years where people with means can get procedures and test more quickly,” Whatley added to CTV News.
  • A 2016 Commonwealth Fund survey focusing on 11 developed countries found 56 per cent of Canadians waited more than four weeks to see a medical specialist compared to about 36 percent, which is  the international average, the outlet reported.

How are Canadian institutions reacting?

  • Kingston Health Sciences Centre told the outlet delays are “a challenge” across the board but the neurologist in this case is in high demand due to “referrals from a very large catchment area.”
  • “Ensuring the lowest possible wait times for all parts of our health-care system is a key priority, particularly including referrals from general practitioners to specialists,” Laura Gallant, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Health and Long-term care, told Global News.
(H/T: Townhall)

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