A few weeks ago I shared my experience with kidney stones and what options (or lack there of) I had when handling this medical situation. You can read that story here. And in the process of being seen, I also had asked on my page, Stacey J and also in Ask Nova Scotia: Anything Goes (Mostly) what people thought about the medical system we have in Nova Scotia. These are some of those answers from real people.
It should be no surprise that countless Nova Scotians complained about various wait times. This was one of the highest complained about subjects. Whether this was waiting to receive emergency care in the Emergency Rooms across the province. Waiting for their family doctors, if they have one, because even their wait times were booking weeks and months in advance for a lot of people. To waiting for specialists appointments. Again, months and in many cases years in advance. If you don’t believe me, You can check out the publicly available wait time list here to decide how accurate they actually are. You can find that link here. Only leaving the most serious cases being seen, leaving minor ones prolonged and without care until it becomes major enough to be seen. These from some things like ultrasounds, cancer testing, mental health situations also. Something as simple and routine as a pregnancy dating scan, many people are finding themselves never having the initial scan until the middle of their pregnancy after 20 weeks.
It should also be pointed out that there is also the argument made for wait times due to people who do end up getting appointments and ending up not showing up to their scheduled times. Which I can no doubt assume it to be infuriating for multiple people, including the specialists waiting, and the patients waiting to have appointments wasted on no shows while they wait for their calls. I would like to assume this to be some miscommunication in many instances though as some of these life or death appointments simply cannot be missed.
A suggestion from someone is that doctors be paid via patients seen vs their time working during the day. And while I don’t personally know how doctors are actually paid, I can see how this can lead towards a dangerous situation where doctors are rushing patients through without full knowledge to assess someone due to their pay being based on people seen vs hourly (which in 15 minute booking appointments generally 4 patients seen per hour).
In some instances it was mentioned where Nova Scotians were left with no other choice but to seek health care within another province (and in an instance outside of Canada) to recieve their treatment. A cost that many may not be able to utilize this to better their health. For various reasons like hotel stays, wages lost, etc. And even the out of pocket expenses that occurs when they seek out of province care. Or the follow up that may be required to travel back to the province of care months after the initial visit.
People also found it to be frustrating that wait times for things like MRIs, Mammogram (ranging anywhere from 10 days in Amherst to over 100 days wait in other hospitals), etc are ranging from 2 years+ waiting with as long as 4.5 years. This includes things for referrals with large wait lists. And in situations where someone has been given a referral to a place, even that referral had been denied because their wait list was simply too long. Again, leaving patients unable to care for themselves because they are left trying to get healthcare they just cannot obtain.
One seemingly alarming realm of Healthcare people found alarming was the basics of care being ignored or completely forgotten. In regards to someone with a broken bone turned away, doctors feeling more inattentive with patients left feeling like they are just a number for the day. Many folks stated the lack of care was alarming, from patients being left without proper care for kidney issues, brain bleed. Even being sent home without proper after care instructions from a broken bone. Someone even stating that they have watched people on various positions within the hospitals utilize their phones extensively in front of patients. This is also completely ignoring the fact that multiple people across the few years Ive been paying attention in various forums have talked about the amount of mice they have seen within their rooms with almost nothing done to combat that type of pest patients have seen crawling around their rooms as they try to heal from various ailments.
People also commented the lack of care provided to loved ones required to stay in terms of room cleanliness many times, and no dedicated mental health specific areas leaving patients recovering from surgeries, and in palliative care also with mentally unstable patients who are left screaming and being invasive towards their loved ones. People questioned why the lack of even primary mental care services even for communities is left behind and these people in a mental health crisis have no other option but emergency rooms and hospitals. You can see the wait times here for these type of services. You can see this is the non urgent, And while yes, urgent care does appear to be seen relatively fast, I begs the question how many cases seen are actually deemed urgent and why the non-urgent is such a long wait.
It was also pointed out too, even though the wait was extensive, once in line to be seen by a doctor their care was exceptional. Even after my own experience, with kidney stones the past few weeks, I did receive great care. The nurses that helped were kind. Even being turned away from Cobequid Emergency due to my pain level not being enough the nurse was apologizing and suggesting that I do come for open the next day to be seen faster. Even waiting to see the doctor and talking to them they were attentive and helpful.
Another major flaw is the “I need a doctor” list. Where you sign up and wait to be placed with a primary care provider. Many folks saying that they had noticed they were actually removed and had to re-add themselves. Assuming they were on the list and having no idea how long they were not actually waiting. To others calling around daily to doctors begging them to take on themselves or their family. An option that many don’t actually have due to working their full time Monday to Friday jobs.
For a provincial government who claims to be doing a lot for healthcare, it seems there could be a lot more being done for these situations that many Nova Scotians seem to be united on.
Stacey J. Girard 