Our Pathetic Healthcare System

greedy_doctorsI’m running out of options. I’ve been getting progressively more ill over the last 8 years and can’t find anyone to help. As a last resort I decided to try one of our controversial ‘private’ healthcare clinics, one of a small selection of medical hired guns located in downtown Vancouver. I selected False Creek Healthcare Centre, made an appointment. I also walked out before seeing a doctor and giving them the opportunity to charge me their one hour ‘consultation fee’ of $450.

Here’s the note I sent to Falsecreek Medical after walking out of my appointment:

I walked out of my appointment today, Monday June 1 at 415pm and here is the reason why…

I made the appointment last week and was instructed to arrive 15 minutes early to fill in the necessary paperwork. I arrived 20 minutes early after leaving work early to ensure I wasn’t late. I took the elevator to the 6th floor (as per your website) which was completely void of signage and, after asking if I was indeed at False Creek Healthcare, was asked my name and appointment time. I was then sent to the 3rd floor (where I was again greeted by absolutely no signage confirming I was in the correct location) and asked the four receptionists which one could help. Once confirmed my appointment and I was instructed to sit in the waiting room (out of sight around the corner).

After 5 minutes I was asked to complete and sign 4 sheets of paper. I handed the sheets back and shortly thereafter was asked to sign one more spot (“everyone misses that one”). I waited.

Eventually I was greeted by a nurse, guided to a back room and was asked why I was visiting the clinic. I explained my issues and she proceeded to take my blood pressure, heart rate and temperature. The nurse then left telling me she would seek out the doctor.

FIVE minutes later she returned and appeared to be surprised I was in the room. She advised that she had ‘forgotten I was there’ and asked me to return to the front waiting area so she could seat the patient waiting behind her in my place. It was 4:20 and I still had not seen a doctor after arriving 20 minutes early for my 4pm appointment.

I returned to the waiting room and sat down. Shortly thereafter I decided to leave.
If this is the quality of service, organization and care offered by these clowns, I’m not interested, much less willing to pay their inflated fees.

I’m absolutely appalled how inefficient this ‘professional’ and ‘high-quality’ healthcare clinic appeared to be. Could this be the coveted and highly controversial two-tier healthcare system we hear so much about? If so, I’ll pass and just return to my GP for more ineffective and useless diagnosis and ‘treatment’.

The nurse in question phoned me about 30 minutes later and suggested I return again to see the doctor. I declined.

I’m so absolutely sick of arrogant, smarmy, lazy healthcare professionals that care about nothing more than moving as many patients through their factory offices as possible while offering little in the way of care, compassion or any form of help. My last GP was a twat who actually suggested I “make of list of things that cause stress and write them down every night” in the hopes of curing more than eight years of nausea, dizziness and migraines. He’s doesn’t give a shit, much like my previous GP that was so insulted I sought the opinion of another doctor (the GP noted above) that he refused to see me again while belittling me for having the audacity to look elsewhere for help. Was Hippocrates such an arrogant bastard? Probably not.

Let’s face it, most doctors in this city suck. They’re arrogant and unsophisticated when it comes to basic compassion or empathy. We are customers who should be treated with little or no patience or caring, left waiting for long periods and treated like nothing more than the revenue stream we are. Gone are the doctors of my childhood that were proud of their practices and actually cared for their patients.

I’m absolutely sick of it. Literally. But I’ll try another doctor and perhaps another private healthcare clinic. What have I got left to lose other than my health and dignity?

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