5 ms·
Interior BC Canuck here. The system is miserable. My gf has mental health issue, short of actually attempting suicide, there is pretty much no way to get access
by alacombe 6y ago
Interior BC Canuck here. The system is miserable. My gf has mental health issue, short of actually attempting suicide, there is pretty much no way to get access to any psychiatrist [I guess she wouldn't be a burden on the system if she succeeded...]. Her father had bloody urine, and was recently denied cancer appointments. And on top of that private practices are straight out illegal.
Also, as personal experience, while living in Quebec, as I was in-between visa, I had to walk for 2 days on a broken foot as the ER wouldn't check me unless I paid ~1000$ for a consult. I was lucky to be be able to go to a private clinic, paid $50 and was done.
I really wish I could just pay to access a private practice...
- xyzzy_plugh 6y agoFor all of I've heard of the worst examples of Canadian health care, they're always in BC. What is going on over there? In Ontario and out east I've never experienced anything remotely frustrating.
- alacombe 6y ago> What is going on over there? To the risk of being heavily downvoted: the NDP.
- joshspankit 6y agoVery big risk, yes. There are a lot of differences between BC and the other provinces. The NDP is only one fraction of those differences.
- alacombe 6y agoThe NDP has controlled BC for 10 years prior to 2017, between 1991 and 2001.
- smnrchrds 6y agoNDP has been in power since 2017. From 2001 to 2017, Liberals were in power. Do you have any evidence that the quality of care has gotten worse in the past three years? I am sure things are bad now because of the COVID-19 lock-downs, but I do not believe, ignoring the COVID-19 disruptions, quality of medical services are bad in BC or have gotten worse in the past three years.
- codegeek 6y ago"able to go to a private clinic, paid $50" Now try this in a private practice in the US and see if it costs only $50.
- alacombe 6y agoThat's an irrelevant point as I'd still be covered by private insurance companies while transitioning Visa.
- garyrichardson 6y agoI can stack on my personal anecdotes about how the BC health care system has treated me incredibly well. I've gotten fast access to surgery. I've had quick access to specialists. I have a family doctor. If you're not a citizen/landed immigrant/registered with a visa/etc anywhere in Canada you're going to see the raw costs of medical care for sure. You mention being in between visas. Depending on your accent and skin color you may have also experienced the systemic racism that exists in Canada that no one likes to admit exists. At the end of the day, BC medical care works great if: 1) you can navigate and advocate yourself through the system 2) you have extended health coverage (usually through an employer but can be bought privately) 3) you have a doctor/nurse that can help connect you into the expedited route in the system 4) know when and how to access the secret private health industry (ie pay $700 for an MRI tomorrow instead of waiting for years for free ones) plus having the ability to pay for it. I've seen this over and over. It's super charged squeaky wheel syndrome.
- newbie789 6y ago>And on top of that private practices are straight out illegal. >I was lucky to be be able to go to a private clinic, paid $50 and was done. I'm sorry, but can you expand on this? Did you go to an illegal clinic?