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Friday, September 04, 2009
Jeremy Clarkson Slams Canadian Health Care
Anecdotal? Yes. But when you get thousands of anecdotes like this, does not a pattern emerge?
A doctor came in and said to them: “You’ve had a miscarriage,” and then turned to go. Understandably, the poor girl was very upset and asked if the doctor was sure. “Look, we’ve done a scan and there’s nothing in there,” she said, in perhaps the worst example of a bedside manner I’ve ever seen. “Is anyone coming to look at my son?” asked my friend politely. “Quoi?” said the haughty doctor, who had suddenly forgotten how to speak English. “Je ne comprends pas.” And with that, she was gone.
[...]
And they also had the cash to employ an army of people to slam the door in your face if you poked your head into the inner sanctum to ask how much longer the wait might be. Sixteen hours is apparently the norm. Unless you want a scan. Then it’s 22 months. At about 1.30am a doctor arrived. Boy, he was a piece of work. He couldn’t have been more rude if I’d been General Wolfe. He removed the bandages like they were the packaging on a disposable razor, looked at the wound, which was horrific, and said to my friend: “Is it cash or credit card?”
Posted by Richard Anderson on September 4, 2009 | Permalink
Comments
Now we know why Liam Neeson had his late wife Natasha Richardson flown from Montreal to New York for care after her tragic accident.
I say that the best way the US can punish Canada is to cut them off from American health care.
Posted by: Zebulon Pike | 2009-09-04 6:53:26 PM
Pubis,
"Anecdotal? Yes. But when you get thousands of anecdotes like this, does not a pattern emerge?"
No. That's why anecdotal evidence is very poor as an indication of generalizations. A list of anecdotes of people happy with the care they get would not prove the opposite. But the anecdote you pick to report is telling. Questions about how a patient will pay are only asked in Canada of non-Canadians. In the US it is asked of everyone. So if asking about payment is bad, then clearly a private system is worse.
Oh yeah, you also conveniently forget to quote the anecdote that led the column, the one where he says he "was once denied treatment at a Detroit hospital because the receptionist’s computer refused to acknowledge that the United Kingdom existed". Personally, I'd rather be talking to a doctor with a bad attitude or who demands payment information from me than to be denied the chance to even see a doctor by the geographically challenged.
But that's just an anecdote, too.
Posted by: Fact Check | 2009-09-04 7:04:27 PM
If US health care is so heartless and evil, why do Canadian governments use it so much?
Posted by: Zebulon Pike | 2009-09-04 7:10:08 PM
Pubis,
One more thing worth noting: Any problems Clarkson has with Canadian health care cannot be attributed to it being a public system. That is proven by the close of his article where he says, "in all the times I’ve ever used [Britain’s National Health Service], no one has ever pretended to be French, no one has spent more time swiping my credit card than ordering painkillers and there are many chairs." while still anecdotal, it is a claim made based on a wider range of experiences. So what Cameron really is saying is "Canadians suck", not "public health care sucks". Nice guy, He should stick to doing his reality show.
Zeb,
"Now we know why Liam Neeson had his late wife Natasha Richardson flown from Montreal to New York for care after her tragic accident."
Really? Based on this story? You must be psychic ... or psycho. What we actually know is that nothing could be done about Richardson's injury, so she was transported to New York to die there because her family was there. Any other theories you might have are pure fantasy. Although if you want to play silly games with this tragedy, you might note that she was alive while in Canadian care and died rather quickly when put in American care. Does that mean the American system killed her? Inquiring minds want to know....
Posted by: Fact Check | 2009-09-04 7:20:28 PM
No one ever implied doctors or nurses were saints. You get the good, bad and ugly like every other profession. The same goes for patients. Perhaps they just came across as jerks and reaped the reward. Are there really thousands of anecdotes like this? If there are then have they been cherry picked out of hundreds of thousands of satisfactory situations ? This type of article usually has more to it than meets the eye. Or less. I could make up a dozen stories like this in under an hour. None would be verified but probably be snapped up by special interest groups on how bad our system is.
Posted by: peterj | 2009-09-04 9:33:43 PM
Ohh..So what Cameron really is saying is "Canadians suck", not "public health care sucks.
Thanks,
Posted by: mark | 2009-09-05 1:06:19 AM
Fact Check: "Questions about how a patient will pay are only asked in Canada of non-Canadians"
Not true.
It is asked of anyone who is not covered by provincial health insurance (such as OHIP). This applies also to Canadian citizens, e.g. those who have been absent from Canada for some time.
My son, a Canadian, happened to break his arm very badly two weeks after arriving to Canada (Ontario). This was at school, and first the principal refused to call an ambulance because he was not covered by OHIP. Then, after an hour or so (when it was almost getting to late to save my son's arm), when my sister-in-law finally got him to the emergency room, the hospital was adamant in getting guarantees that we would pay for their services, before doing anything.
Wonderful system.
In civilized countries, emergency care is provided with no questions asked. But not in Canada.
Posted by: Johan i Kanada | 2009-09-05 6:29:26 AM
Recent stories about the Vancouver system canceling thousands of surgeries and Vancouver Island slashing the number of MRI's by 20% give me a thought.
Sure in the US they want to know how you'll pay but in Canada they say "sorry, we've already done all the MRI's we're allowed this year".
Too bad you guys can't walk into a local MRI clinic and pay for an MRI scan. You could, but you'd need plane tickets. Then you can show it to your Canadian doctor who will be pissed that you skipped ahead by 20 months.
Posted by: GeronL | 2009-09-06 12:54:52 AM
I don't know why liberals and other scum say how Canada's health care system does not discriminate on the basis of wealth. It clearly does. Standards in rural areas and in poorer inner city areas are far lower than in wealthy urban areas. Moreover, racial minorities receive inferior care to whites. This situation must be rectified. Not even the NDP or Liebral party is willing to do anything about this - but of course they are rich white Toronto people themselves. Sadly, this is the situation in Alberta - which is intolerable. While the fascists in Toronto might get away with this, Albertans have no excuses.
Posted by: Zebulon Pike | 2009-09-06 5:02:34 PM
Then you can show it to your Canadian doctor who will be pissed that you skipped ahead by 20 months.
Posted by: GeronL | 2009-09-06 12:54:52 AM
And the impact on you as an American would be?
Posted by: The Stig | 2009-09-06 6:47:15 PM
Zebulon Pike is a waste of f_cking oxygen who should do us all a favour and remove himself from the gene pool. Dolt.
Posted by: faewgsgawfawfswfewsfesaf fawefeawfawgaweghas | 2009-09-06 6:30:52 PM
He already has, he moved to Alabama
Posted by: The Stig | 2009-09-06 6:48:47 PM
And the impact on you as an American would be?
-The Stig
It doesn't. That is the beauty of it. I don't worry that the hospital is going to slam the window shut and say "sorry we have used up our alloted MRI's (or surgeries) for the year, please see us in January".
Your healthcare choices, even as a foreigner, almost never impact me since you are paying for it yourself. Interesting isn't it?.
Maybe someone should design a system where we could all have healthcare that isn't impacted by other people? Maybe one where people are responsible for their own choices and their own care?
I think it just might work.
Posted by: GeronL | 2009-09-08 1:44:25 AM
The national debate on health care that hasn't been going his way? I don't think so.
By the way she was transported to New York to die there because her family was there. Any other theories you might have are pure fantasy
Posted by: Health News | 2009-09-24 1:45:14 AM
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