Hospital Crisis

Following the mess regarding our recent medical incident in the USA I have a faltering feeling of security with our system.It is easy to blame the insurance company and at first sight I was tempted to do just that. However I read another story today in the Toronto Star which replicated the mess we found ourselves in while Doris was in hospital in Florida. Doris and the man in the news article were given excellent care while they were patients but the insurance company was unable in both cases to obtain a hospital bed in Ontario. For Doris it meant an 11 day stay and for the man it was two weeks.

In both cases the insurance company attempted to find a bed for their clients. In the whole GTA they could not find a bed. This is nonsense as any ambulance arriving at a hospital will be accommodated.I understand that there are special circumstances for out of country patients and red tape for sure. These people are citizens of Ontario and in both cases waited long periods of time for a bed.To be helpful I wish to say that both patients are well now even after the worry and distress suffered by lingering for so long. I shall write the minister of health and follow up with a phone call to see if something should be done to correct the situation.

These are two cases but you can be sure there are many more. Next time it could be me or you and it causes us to be concerned when we travel abroad. We pay large sums of money to be covered beyond OHIP when we travel and should expect to be treated in a more direct manner. In Doris' case she pays close to $4000 in extra medical care as she is elderly and that is all the more reason she should have been looked after in a timely fashion.

I am not criticizing the medical staff or hospitals as we received excellent care...it is the administration of these institutions that concern me. AMEN.