Discussion At Least in BC - Canadians are Dying While Waiting For Live Saving Treatment or Being Denied Care Outright - Anyone Here Has Stories On This Topic?

P

password123

Active Member

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euCCZS8uqZY

Longish video (1:49:31) but can be listened to as audio while doing something else. Posting it because, at least for me, it was news about how bad the state of the BC health care system is. By all rational measures, it's a failed system and can't really even be called health care anymore. To summarize some key takeaway point I found especially important:

- In BC (and perhaps come other provinces too), all referrals for additional testing for things like cancer go through your general practitioner. That means that even if you go to the ER, those doctors won't be able to order any tests outside the ER treatment. And this is a problem for two reasons:
1. In parts of Canada, you can't even get a general practitioner.
Walk-in clinics are a mixed bag and aren't always a good substitute for one.
2. A lot of general practitioners in Canada are overworked and don't want to go through the process (including paperwork) to get their patients these tests.
Especially because they don't get paid for that. So the less ethical ones will try to downplay your issue and send you home with nothing.
Walk-in clinics similarly don't want to deal with writing out referrals as they don't get paid for them.

- Even once a patient is diagnosed, which can take a while and allow the illness to progress further than it should have, the system seems unable to expedite treatment, even if delaying treatment would mean certain death.

- Sometimes, the system can decide that it's simply not going to treat you even for a treatable ilness. This can be both for terminal illnesses like cancer or a torn tendon.

- If the public system in Canada has decided not to treat you or is dragging its feet such that you may die, your only option (except in Quebec) is to go abroad.
The Canadian health care act specifically bans private clinics (i.e. the competition.). The health care system is the most socialist thing in Canada, and that's saying something. Even in socialist Europe, private clinics are legal in most if not all countries there.

- The one part of Canadian health care system that seems to never fail is sending MAID pamphlet to patients waiting for treatment for serious ilnesses. In fact, they send multiple so the patient doesn't forget. They're very astute when it comes to these pamphlets.


Note: For those who don't know. The reason that private clinics were allowed to exist in Quebec is because their health care system got so bad that a court challenge eventually overturned the part of the health care act where private clinics are banned. This was on the ground that you have a human right to preserve your life and they admitted that if you got terminally ill in Quebec, the Quebec public health care system was not going to treat you due to how broken it was but a private health care provider could save your life if allowed to operate. It seems that BC is there right now.


One lesson from the video people here might find useful. When it comes to health care, whether in Canada or elsewhere (but especially in Canada), you need to be your own patient advocate. You cannot sit back and expect your doctor to take care of things. That might work out in some cases, but not in others and this is not a risk you want to take.. You need to push for them to do the test they need to do and for the treatments you need to get better. This can be tough to do in Canada, as some treatments are simply not available and if they refuse to treat you, you have to go abroad for treatment at that point. This also means you need to do your own research on what's wrong with you and what treatment options work. It is a lot of work to be put on a sick person, but if you don't do it, most likely no one else will. The only exception where this might not be required is if you have a really good doctor, who isn't overworked. In Canada, all doctor are overworked and there are a lot of bad ones that they system isn't going to purge, especially given the insane doctor shortage.
 
Last edited:
Upvote 6
My father got prostate cancer and barely made it in time for surgery before it risked spreading to a point where surgery wouldn't have worked. He's been a Liberal/NDP supporter most of his life and always told me I was a racist, Nazi loving immoral person with no empathy and psychopath because I wanted to privatize healthcare. He started looking at private clinics in the USA for surgery to avoid dying. After his experience with our healthcare system he admitted to me that he thinks I'm right about healthcare. Over a decade of him putting me down to finally admit I was right only when he needed to use the system.
 
The big lesson I learned over time was that you should never take the opinion or treatment course your doctor takes you without independent research, ever. Those people might spend 5 minutes looking at your file and then do a 30 second google search before they prescribe something; then they'll never see you again until it's too late.
 
I still remember the man who was told to go home from the hospital after having severe chest pain, they told him it wasn’t a heart attack. He later died of an aortic dissection.
Forgot what his name was so I’ll have to look it up again.
 
Video Summary:
This video features Donovan and Kristin, a couple who share their harrowing experience navigating the Canadian healthcare system after Kristin was diagnosed with ovarian cancer (1:16-1:32). They explain their decision to permanently move to the United States after feeling that their care in Canada was inadequate, delayed, and, at times, dismissive (1:36-1:38, 5:11-5:24, 21:07-21:25).

Key themes and events discussed include:

• Healthcare Challenges: The couple recounts difficulties in accessing timely diagnostic imaging and specialized surgeries in Canada (11:48-12:30, 41:08-41:56). They express deep frustration with the Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) program, which they feel was offered as a standard option during Kristin's most vulnerable state rather than as an exceptional end-of-life measure (22:54-24:29, 48:44-49:19).
• Emergency Evacuation: Facing life-threatening complications, including a bowel obstruction and fluid accumulation in her lungs, Kristin and Donovan describe the "last-ditch" effort they made to return to the United States for life-saving medical intervention (57:35-58:40, 1:18:34-1:19:25).
• Life in the US: The couple discusses their transition to the United States, highlighting their appreciation for the access to healthcare services, the treatment of veterans, and the perceived differences in freedoms and cost of living compared to their experience in Canada (1:17:05-1:17:38, 1:21:35-1:22:06).
• Advocacy: Both emphasize that their story is not an isolated incident. They use their platform to advocate for others, especially those who cannot speak up for themselves due to illness or passing, and to raise awareness about the complexities of their medical journey (1:28:49-1:29:24, 1:45:57-1:46:14).
Click to expand...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top