Today, the hospital cafeteria was serving two hot dogs, fries and coleslaw for union lunch. As if, even in the cafeteria, we had forgotten the idea of doing things well, abandoned as we are in our mess…
Today, I saw too many sick people again. I spent a lot of time apologizing for a dysfunctional system that I am not responsible for.
I consoled the gentleman who was waiting for his to scan for six months and who has finally had it: he has metastatic cancer which perhaps was not metastatic six months ago.
I spent 10 minutes explaining to an angry gentleman who had been waiting for his operation for three months that some with the same problem had been waiting for him for a year.
I spent 15 minutes explaining to a lady leaving for Florida on December 17 (179 days) that it didn’t make her elective surgery any more urgent.
I kindly received this gentleman who had seen a urologist in private, at a high price (about six times the price to the public), and who wanted to have information on the operation he is going to undergo. “My private urologist doesn’t have time to explain to me. I would rather have a “RAMQ” urologist, you have more time! »
I saw four new patients for cancers who must be operated on in the next 30 days, oncological and ministerial monitoring requires. My programs are complete until Christmas.
Finally, they shouted in my face: “I’ve been paying taxes for 25 years and you can’t even find two hours to operate on me!” »
A few times I felt like walking out of an exam room in silence, grabbing my jacket, and going home. Without telling anyone. I finally said that I was going to go private, too, to do day surgery on people who were not very sick, grateful, and to go home at 2 p.m. and take care of myself. “You’re the only one who hasn’t said it yet!” replied the nurse…
The system is completely sick and it is making everyone who works in it sick too. The private bleeds the public, which will never recover. And no governance seems to realize this. If you didn’t already know, it’s better to be rich and healthy than poor and sick.