Using Canada’s healthcare system is a bit like playing ‘Squid Game’
- Country’s revered universal health service starting to show signs of a universal lack of service for those citizens who are most in need
Almost a decade ago, when I moved back to Canada, my boss told me I would have to switch from staff to freelance status, and that I would lose the company’s health insurance. But then he caught himself. “Oh wait, it’s Canada, universal healthcare. That’s even better for you and your family.”
I thought so too at the time. Now, I really miss Hong Kong’s mix of private and public health services.
Let me tell you some healthcare stories about my own kid (Robyn, not her real name), my other kid’s best friend (Mark, not his real name), and the parents of my wife’s best friend (Joan, not her real name), who were originally from Hong Kong. Since these all happen in my immediate social circle, I must assume such anecdotes are not exceptional but very frequent.
Joan’s late father was in his late seventies when he was told he had a terminal illness. The whole family in Vancouver thought it was treatable or at least he could live longer with some proper treatment. But a final decision was made from the start. No treatment option was ever discussed, let alone offered. The only help given was assisted dying. The entire family was devastated. “We rather use the resources to treat younger patients,” the head doctor told the family.
Joan’s mother moved back to Hong Kong last year because she didn’t want to die like her husband.
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Canada has the world’s most “liberal” euthanasia programme, with a controversial plan, now delayed, for extending it to severe psychiatric patients who might even be in their teens.
I used to be in favour of euthanasia, thinking it’s humane. Now, I am starting to think it’s really for saving hospital beds and costs.
But, do young people really get timely treatment? That takes us to Mark in Toronto, who has a congenital gastrointestinal disease – a lifelong chronic and very uncomfortable condition – and has had repeated surgeries throughout his childhood.
Like my son, he is 24 and graduated from university. He couldn’t work until his last surgery was done because it took time to recover. From the date of his promised surgery to its being carried out, it was delayed three times over a year.
Now he is recovering when he could have been working and starting a career.
My daughter has been trying to get a specialist appointment referred to by our family doctor for more than a year now.
But the specialist clinic has a three-strike rule; if they call three times and there are no answers or replies, the referral is cancelled. And so it was cancelled. Our GP made another referral, and I said I could take her appointment dates for her. But the specialist clinic refused and literally hung up.
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Good news! Now, finally, she has an appointment, not with a specialist, but for group therapy, with fellow patients.
Something else: she was hit by a car two years ago. The ambulance charged her C$245 (HK$1,400) for the ride when it’s C$45 for Canadian residents. The reason: she didn’t have her health card on her.
This last winter, an elderly man collapsed on our street. Our neighbour called the emergency hotline. It was a very cold day.
The ambulance took 25 minutes to arrive. The old man laid on the cold ground, though our neighbour covered him with a thick blanket.
The drive should be under 10 minutes. The ambulance driver claimed our neighbour gave them the wrong address.
Now, let me bore you with something about myself. I have a fatty liver and had a scan in December. I am still trying to get the results from the clinic.
I must assume it’s either all good and there was no need for treatment, or it’s so bad I am going to die, so why bother with treatment?
Now I feel like one of those players in the hit South Korean survival game dramatic miniseries Squid Game.
