Editor's note: Ms. Peters writes in response to Our medical system we have is not working properly.
-----
To the editor:
I would like to thank Mr. Laughlin for writing an open letter to Doug Ford and Vic Fideli about the lack of basic healthcare in North Bay and other cities and towns outside of the GTA. And, a big thank you to those who responded sympathetically.
My story is similar to the many, many others who require treatment in a timely manner. I moved from Toronto to North Bay 2 years ago for a more peaceful life, and my son joined me a few months later.
I just turned 80, and you don't get to this age without health concerns. My son is 58, had a back injury 20 years ago, and lives on a disability pension. We love living here. The people are friendly, the terrain is beautiful, summer and winter, and life is just much easier than in the larger cities.
But we're now in a crisis situation. We can't get a doctor.
What I hear from those who have lived here much longer than me is that the demographics have changed. Like the rest of Canada, there are more and more seniors. And guess what? The doctors are aging too; they are retiring often with no younger doctors taking over their practice.
I think you get my point: more health services are needed by the aging population while there are fewer physicians available to provide services.
One writer mentioned the reason for long wait times in the emergency department was that people without a family physician have nowhere else to go. Furthermore, there are no walk-in clinics other than after-hour clinics, but you need to belong to one of the medical groups to attend.
There are a few nurse practitioners who can write a prescription and take your blood pressure, accompanied by a video conference with a doctor who has no prior knowledge of you. Personally, I think it's much better to do teleconferencing with my doctor in Toronto who can still order X-rays, and prescriptions but can't examine my knee so she can send me to an orthopaedist.
There is no simple fix to the lack of healthcare services in North Bay. But there are some obvious remedies.
(1) open at least 2 walk-in clinics staffed by local doctors who can get together and offer 1/2 day every 2 weeks.
(2) the municipality must also be involved by offering incentives to recently graduated doctors to set up a practice here. Surely, the City could arrange an interest-free loan and help with mortgage payments for a first home. Offer a free weekend to soon-to-be Family Physicians, and spouses, to come here .... and wine and dine them.
(3) Make patients who must wait in emerge, more comfortable. St. Joseph's in Toronto has a great system with very few examining rooms but Lazy-Boys instead of chairs in which many patients can be treated e.g. administering an IV drip.
And incorporate volunteer service in emerge. Volunteers can bring waiting patients drinks, food (with the ok from the nurse), magazines, toys, a blanket, a pillow, etc.
Over the past 4 months, I have accompanied my son to the ER. While there, I have run errands for patients with no complaints from staff.
The bottom line is don't just accept the status quo. Be an innovator, learn from other ERs who have short wait times, seek out other smaller towns and cities to see what they're doing, and above all don't neglect the responsibility of the municipal government; there's a great deal they can do.
What would you vote for: better healthcare or a new arena? Just ask everyone in the waiting room of the ER.
As for me and my son, who needs immediate services, I plan to do a sit-in at a few medical offices and perhaps have patients waiting in the ER sign a petition to our mayor in addition to our MP and Premier.
Carolyn Peters
North Bay
