Things from day's gone by...........................

Rottiman. What is the current healthcare situation in Ont? I have some dated, but good impressions.

Muskie fishing Whitefish bay of Lake of the Woods in 1980, caught muskie, but hook from a Mepps Giant Killer got buried in my wrist under tendons while trying to release her at boat side. Luckily the other hooks came out of the fish simultaneously as it hooked me, otherwise there would have been some serious damage. Anyways back at the clinic in town the extraction procedure cost me next to nothing. It was under $20 CA dollars. Not sure about costs now, but I was amazed at the time.

My other experience with Canadian healthcare came during doctoral training at Lakehead psychiatric hospital in Thunder Bay, Ont under a work visa. This was in the 1990s. Met some very dedicated and great folks working there. During the same period I was an EMT in far NE MN and we would transfer patients to Mckellar Hospital there. Good people and experiences as well.

 

Health care here in Ontario is so so. there is socialized medicine here which translates that basic care and hospitalization is covered by a system that is paid for with a healthcare tax deducted at source of pay. The employer share is higher that the individual share. Surgical procedures are covered as well as hospital stay and re hab costs. Two biggest problems are long waits to see specality doctors and in this province there is a ever increasing lack of family doctors coupled with a rapidly aging population. If I am not mistaken, currently in this county 46% of the population do not have a doctor which translates into people jamming the emergency departments of the hospitals. Non critical wait times in the hospital ER's can be as long as 10-12 hours to get treatment. I could go on & on about the situation but will finish by saying it is barely acceptable. I will say that senior's are taken care of and script medicines are for the most part covered. I pay a one time annual fee of $100 for the first prescription and then $6.49 per script for the balance of the year. There is slowly sliding into place a two-tier health care system up here. I am sure in years coming it will be getting quite pricey to play that game.

 

Thank you for the information.

Where in Ont are you located? Maybe better access in NW Ont? Our transports with the ambulance were to the ER and access was good for the most part. At the psychiatric hospital both in patient and out patient access and care was very good at the time as well.