6 ms·

Canada is having the same issue with 20hr waits in the emergency room and others being rejected outright https://globalnews.ca/news/9066662/emergency-rooms-can

by dmix 4y ago

Canada is having the same issue with 20hr waits in the emergency room and others being rejected outright https://globalnews.ca/news/9066662/emergency-rooms-canada-big-small/ https://globalnews.ca/news/9066662/emergency-rooms-canada-bi... I’ve heard a big part is all the doctors have been going on vacation all at once now that COVID is largely over, after not taking them for two years. They don’t have enough staff to cover even partial shortages. That plus the elephant in the room of paying nurses/doctors more to keep them in Canada is always an issue.

Cthulhu_ 4y ago
I'm happy for them that they made it to the point they can actually take time off. A big issue over here (NL) is that the doctors and nurses have fallen ill themselves, either from the 'rona or long covid, or from being overworked for so long. And because of the workload, a lot of people have quit as well.
ilamont 4y ago
Family member recently received emergency care in northern NY. Several of the nurses were Canadian coming over the bridge for better pay.
- magicalist 4y ago
  Nurses are leaving a ton of places in the US for better pay elsewhere, too.
  - Scoundreller 4y ago
    They're not leaving the US, they're re-allocating themselves internally.
    - magicalist 4y ago
      Yes, and the places they're leaving are experiencing major service delays and cancellations. I'm not sure of your point?
- Scoundreller 4y ago
  There's somewhere from 1000-2000 health care workers that work in the Detroit area, but live on the Canadian side. When the borders were sealed shut-ish, they were going back and forth regularly and not required to quarantine upon return at any point during COVID like most everyone else returning was. Kinda defeated the purpose of trying to keep a virus out of Canada when you literally have Canadians caring for the most afflicted people regularly with relatively few restrictions upon return.
11101010001100 4y ago
As always, it very much depends. We just went to the emergency room and experienced less than 30 minutes of wait time.
- jeffh 4y ago
  Certainly it does, but one can guarantee more than 30min wait time at some emergency rooms coming up as they are closing outright due to staffing issues. https://bc.ctvnews.ca/8-more-overnight-closures-on-the-way-for-emergency-room-in-b-c-interior-1.6034763 https://bc.ctvnews.ca/8-more-overnight-closures-on-the-way-f... It's a real problem, and not just in BC. Some have argued this is a politically manufactured issue to force more talk of private care ... regardless, people are suffering in the mean time.
  - Scoundreller 4y ago
    Most larger places publish these numbers in real-time. But the info can be very limited. Some things can wait, other things can't, and they don't publish the bucketed numbers: Ontario: https://www.hqontario.ca/System-Performance/Time-Spent-in-Emergency-Departments https://www.hqontario.ca/System-Performance/Time-Spent-in-Em... Winnipeg: https://wrha.mb.ca/wait-times/ https://wrha.mb.ca/wait-times/ (7-8h for an initial assessment is pretty terrible) BC: http://www.edwaittimes.ca/WaitTimes.aspx http://www.edwaittimes.ca/WaitTimes.aspx Alberta: https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/waittimes/waittimes.aspx https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/waittimes/waittimes.asp...
cmrdporcupine 4y ago
There's a public sector salary cap in many parts of Canada, despite roaring inflation. And a general vibe from the public and the government that generally despises public sector unions and would almost certainly backlash against nurses and teachers should they sensibly decide to go on strike. For two years they busted their asses for the public in tough straits and now COVID numbers in the hospital system are still crazy but the public is pretending they aren't, and basically expecting the health care system to "deal with it." A prov government here in Ontario that screwed the public health care system and nurses in particular all through the COVID crisis, and has every intent on doing more of that ... was just re-elected with a landslide majority. If you put foxes in charge the hen house, it's not a surprise when the nurses^H^H^H^H^Hhens start to disappear.
- nivenkos 4y ago
  It's the same in the UK, junior doctors and nurses have had terrible compensation for years (the Conservatives even scrapped the student bursaries). And now they're surprised when they all leave for Australia and the USA where they can earn 3-4x as much...
  - was_a_dev 4y ago
    My partner is a junior doctor, currently doing a rotation on the local A&E department. She is the only junior doctor in that department that isn't waiting for their Australian work visa to come through.
- betaby 4y ago
  At the same time there are plenty of medical specialists in the sunshine list making 400K+ CAD. Keeps me wondering why radiologists are paid that well, compared say with oncologists. Also do not forget 1) province caps on medial school admission and 2) administrative bloat. Nurses shortage is only one of the many issues with the healthcare in Canada.
  - cmrdporcupine 4y ago
    Yes, I agree in general. However when I was taking a $300k+ CAD comp package at Google for a (relatively low ladder) SWE position, it was really hard for me to sympathize with people griping about anybody being overpaid in the public service. Pricing irrationality is one of the usual critiques that libertarian types have against state-run anything. Thing is that the US health care market also exhibits similar distortions. I think it's a constant struggle. I think the Canadian system (and probably UK NHS) is due for major reform. I just do not trust the people in power to make the right kind of reforms. Again, foxes and henhouses.

by dmix 4y ago

Cthulhu_ 4y ago

I'm happy for them that they made it to the point they can actually take time off. A big issue over here (NL) is that the doctors and nurses have fallen ill themselves, either from the 'rona or long covid, or from being overworked for so long. And because of the workload, a lot of people have quit as well.

ilamont 4y ago

Family member recently received emergency care in northern NY. Several of the nurses were Canadian coming over the bridge for better pay.

magicalist 4y ago
Nurses are leaving a ton of places in the US for better pay elsewhere, too.
- Scoundreller 4y ago
  They're not leaving the US, they're re-allocating themselves internally.
  - magicalist 4y ago
    Yes, and the places they're leaving are experiencing major service delays and cancellations. I'm not sure of your point?
Scoundreller 4y ago
There's somewhere from 1000-2000 health care workers that work in the Detroit area, but live on the Canadian side. When the borders were sealed shut-ish, they were going back and forth regularly and not required to quarantine upon return at any point during COVID like most everyone else returning was. Kinda defeated the purpose of trying to keep a virus out of Canada when you literally have Canadians caring for the most afflicted people regularly with relatively few restrictions upon return.

11101010001100 4y ago

As always, it very much depends. We just went to the emergency room and experienced less than 30 minutes of wait time.

jeffh 4y ago
Certainly it does, but one can guarantee more than 30min wait time at some emergency rooms coming up as they are closing outright due to staffing issues. https://bc.ctvnews.ca/8-more-overnight-closures-on-the-way-for-emergency-room-in-b-c-interior-1.6034763 https://bc.ctvnews.ca/8-more-overnight-closures-on-the-way-f... It's a real problem, and not just in BC. Some have argued this is a politically manufactured issue to force more talk of private care ... regardless, people are suffering in the mean time.
- Scoundreller 4y ago
  Most larger places publish these numbers in real-time. But the info can be very limited. Some things can wait, other things can't, and they don't publish the bucketed numbers: Ontario: https://www.hqontario.ca/System-Performance/Time-Spent-in-Emergency-Departments https://www.hqontario.ca/System-Performance/Time-Spent-in-Em... Winnipeg: https://wrha.mb.ca/wait-times/ https://wrha.mb.ca/wait-times/ (7-8h for an initial assessment is pretty terrible) BC: http://www.edwaittimes.ca/WaitTimes.aspx http://www.edwaittimes.ca/WaitTimes.aspx Alberta: https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/waittimes/waittimes.aspx https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/waittimes/waittimes.asp...

cmrdporcupine 4y ago

There's a public sector salary cap in many parts of Canada, despite roaring inflation. And a general vibe from the public and the government that generally despises public sector unions and would almost certainly backlash against nurses and teachers should they sensibly decide to go on strike. For two years they busted their asses for the public in tough straits and now COVID numbers in the hospital system are still crazy but the public is pretending they aren't, and basically expecting the health care system to "deal with it." A prov government here in Ontario that screwed the public health care system and nurses in particular all through the COVID crisis, and has every intent on doing more of that ... was just re-elected with a landslide majority. If you put foxes in charge the hen house, it's not a surprise when the nurses^H^H^H^H^Hhens start to disappear.

nivenkos 4y ago
It's the same in the UK, junior doctors and nurses have had terrible compensation for years (the Conservatives even scrapped the student bursaries). And now they're surprised when they all leave for Australia and the USA where they can earn 3-4x as much...
- was_a_dev 4y ago
  My partner is a junior doctor, currently doing a rotation on the local A&E department. She is the only junior doctor in that department that isn't waiting for their Australian work visa to come through.
betaby 4y ago
At the same time there are plenty of medical specialists in the sunshine list making 400K+ CAD. Keeps me wondering why radiologists are paid that well, compared say with oncologists. Also do not forget 1) province caps on medial school admission and 2) administrative bloat. Nurses shortage is only one of the many issues with the healthcare in Canada.
- cmrdporcupine 4y ago
  Yes, I agree in general. However when I was taking a $300k+ CAD comp package at Google for a (relatively low ladder) SWE position, it was really hard for me to sympathize with people griping about anybody being overpaid in the public service. Pricing irrationality is one of the usual critiques that libertarian types have against state-run anything. Thing is that the US health care market also exhibits similar distortions. I think it's a constant struggle. I think the Canadian system (and probably UK NHS) is due for major reform. I just do not trust the people in power to make the right kind of reforms. Again, foxes and henhouses.