07.23.2009

This year I had the misfortune to get the flu… was worried that it might have been H1N1. I went to the emergency room in the suburbs of Toronto and prepared for a full day event.

Overall they put a ventolin mask on me and sent me home. 8 hours.

An emergency room is a huge event in Canada. Prepare to Camp out.

—–
Flash back to when I lived in Australia. I show up at the emergency room with stomach pains (it was my appendix). On the wall was a small arrow that could be moved to indicate the amount of time you would wait to see a doctor. It went from 0 minutes to 60 minutes. Currently it was set for 20. I was thrilled. I would NEVER expect 20 minutes in Canada at the emergency room. Even 60 minutes I’d be impressed in Canada.

And again, I was a student at the time on the most minimal of public health care systems.

Australia had an excellent combination of public health care which everyone had access to (including international students like me) and a private system (which many employers provided coverage for, or insurance could be purchased).

All of my Australian friends had private health care – which was truly amazing. But it seems like having a private system took a lot of the burden off the public health system. So when I went to the public system, the speed and service was great.

Canada has some good features, but have a look at some other places before concluding that our health care system would be a better option for the U.S.

Blog Traffic Exchange Related Posts Print This Post Print This Post

by davidW | Filed Under healthcare | 1 Comment 

  1. SonyaSunny on 07.24.2009

    Where are you from? Is it a secret? :)