No country for old men?

[cdnmatt]

Just to throw this out there -- I don't really ever need medical attention, but my parents are getting to be that age. Gotta say, can't really say I'd rely on the healthcare system in Canada or the like, and from the stories I hear, US is no better especially when it comes to things like the price of prescription dugs.

My dad has been trying to get a GP for over 3 years, and still doesn't have one. He did get a latter a couple months ago informing him that no doctors are currently available, and to please be patient.

About a year or so ago my dad went in for minor knee surgery. They got him into a gown, put him on a stretcher, put him in the hallway, and asked him to wait there. About 1am rolled around, my mom hadn't heard anything yet so got a little worried, called the hospital and asked if the surgery is done, or what's up? They basically just told her, "oh whoops, we forgot all about him. his surgery was actually cancelled, and he's still laying in the hallway if you want to come pick him up". They totally forgot about him, and just left him in the hallway for about 8+ hours.

For about 3 years my mom was in constant agonizing pain and barely able to walk due to a bad hip. After years of waiting patiently in pain, she had enough, flew down to Mexico and got a hip replacement. She's back to doing great, walking the golf course, again. All the while, she's still waiting for a phone call to schedule a consultation to see whether or not she qualifies to be put on the waiting list for a hip replacement. She's not even on the list yet!

I don't have much to do with doctors, but for example, I went to the eye doctor here, and it was a 18 day wait to get in for a quick 15 minute check up. In Thailand we'd call to see the eye specialist and it was, "sure, you can come in tonight anytime after 5pm, or tomorrow before 11am". Same goes for dental surgery. I don't know how long I'd wait in Canada, but I'm sure it'd be more than 20 hours, which is all it was in Thailand to see the dentist at KK Ram. Hell, in Canada it's a 5 day wait just to get a haircut, much less see a specialist at a hospital.