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i live in canada, but this matches my experience in normal times... my brother had a bike accident and cracked his head off a car and we walked into a nearby ho

by modzu 6y ago

i live in canada, but this matches my experience in normal times... my brother had a bike accident and cracked his head off a car and we walked into a nearby hospital with blood running down his face, he was concussed such that he kept asking me where he parked.. and the triage nurse said, "just go home, unless you want to spend 3-4 hours waiting to see someone". we left. so the issue of hospital capacity seems to go way beyond covid, imo

sieabahlpark 6y ago
That's a really known issue with Canada's nationalized healthcare in general.
philliphaydon 6y ago
I’m inclined to not believe your story, sorry, hospitals generally have a policy of someone bleeding from the head, or extensively, or serious injury, are bumped to the front of the queue over someone who is queuing for a sore stomach or checkup etc. So while you might have to wait, it shouldn’t be 3-4 hours, unless something like massive pile up happened and 25 people were rushed in, in critical condition.
- StanislavPetrov 6y ago
  It doesn't matter how acute your condition is if all the beds in the ER, hospital and/or ICU are full with COVID patients - there is simply nowhere to put you. Getting emergency treatment on a gurney in a hallway by hospital staff that is stretched thin and exhausted due to overwork isn't as good or effective as getting proper care. Additionally, there are all sorts of treatments for chronic conditions, cancers and other maladies that take place in the hospital that are being delayed and/or cancelled due to lack of capacity.
  - 8note 6y ago
    I imagine in the US you can pay to have somebody else kicked out and take their bed instead
- modzu 6y ago
  lol! where are you from? its true my friend, ask any canadian they will have a similar story (at least in a city)
  - ahelwer 6y ago
    Canadian here. No, people have stories that their uncle tells them happened to them or their friends, but actually the uncle just read about it online. And then you repeat it as though it happened to you personally. The healthcare system works well. I've been to the hospital for a concussion and was seen quite quickly.
    - modzu 6y ago
      since there is a lot of ignorance in this thread, some data: "In 2017-18, the median time stood at 2.8 hours, while for 90 per cent of visits, it was 7.9 hours or less." https://www.ontario.ca/page/time-spent-emergency-department https://www.ontario.ca/page/time-spent-emergency-department
      - macintux 6y ago
        You should qualify which numbers you're describing. I see an average wait time (to get an initial assessment from a doctor) of 1.2 hours. There are lots of averages, though, depending on which stage and which path people take.
        modzu 6y ago
        thats left as an exercise for the reader -- im no expert in the hospital system my point is simply that after i shared my experience of what happened one particular night when i needed to go to the hospital, im getting flagged for it and downvoted like its a lie and i have some other agenda and that's frankly absurd. it happened. ive never gotten that reaction on hn before and im not sure what it means. i posted some links so those readers can expand their knowledge. i digress.
        6y ago
trustthefda 6y ago
I find that your comment challenges my preconceived notions about the benefits of socialized medicine, so I too must conclude that you are lying for some obscure (but no doubt dastardly) reason.

by modzu 6y ago

sieabahlpark 6y ago

That's a really known issue with Canada's nationalized healthcare in general.

philliphaydon 6y ago

I’m inclined to not believe your story, sorry, hospitals generally have a policy of someone bleeding from the head, or extensively, or serious injury, are bumped to the front of the queue over someone who is queuing for a sore stomach or checkup etc. So while you might have to wait, it shouldn’t be 3-4 hours, unless something like massive pile up happened and 25 people were rushed in, in critical condition.

StanislavPetrov 6y ago
It doesn't matter how acute your condition is if all the beds in the ER, hospital and/or ICU are full with COVID patients - there is simply nowhere to put you. Getting emergency treatment on a gurney in a hallway by hospital staff that is stretched thin and exhausted due to overwork isn't as good or effective as getting proper care. Additionally, there are all sorts of treatments for chronic conditions, cancers and other maladies that take place in the hospital that are being delayed and/or cancelled due to lack of capacity.
- 8note 6y ago
  I imagine in the US you can pay to have somebody else kicked out and take their bed instead
modzu 6y ago
lol! where are you from? its true my friend, ask any canadian they will have a similar story (at least in a city)
- ahelwer 6y ago
  Canadian here. No, people have stories that their uncle tells them happened to them or their friends, but actually the uncle just read about it online. And then you repeat it as though it happened to you personally. The healthcare system works well. I've been to the hospital for a concussion and was seen quite quickly.
  - modzu 6y ago
    since there is a lot of ignorance in this thread, some data: "In 2017-18, the median time stood at 2.8 hours, while for 90 per cent of visits, it was 7.9 hours or less." https://www.ontario.ca/page/time-spent-emergency-department https://www.ontario.ca/page/time-spent-emergency-department
    - macintux 6y ago
      You should qualify which numbers you're describing. I see an average wait time (to get an initial assessment from a doctor) of 1.2 hours. There are lots of averages, though, depending on which stage and which path people take.
      - modzu 6y ago
        thats left as an exercise for the reader -- im no expert in the hospital system my point is simply that after i shared my experience of what happened one particular night when i needed to go to the hospital, im getting flagged for it and downvoted like its a lie and i have some other agenda and that's frankly absurd. it happened. ive never gotten that reaction on hn before and im not sure what it means. i posted some links so those readers can expand their knowledge. i digress.
        6y ago

trustthefda 6y ago

I find that your comment challenges my preconceived notions about the benefits of socialized medicine, so I too must conclude that you are lying for some obscure (but no doubt dastardly) reason.