Unacceptable wait times, as compared to the rest of the developed world, have been a part of our system for decades.
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A Winnipeg woman waited more than 20 hours in a hospital emergency room before receiving life-saving treatment. Experts warn that thousands of Canadians die each year on health care wait lists, underscoring a failing system despite high taxes.
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The late, great Christie Blatchford once said on a radio panel discussion, “Canada has the best health care system in the world, according to people who haven’t used it yet.”
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Those people will insist that there is no better system, and they will, in my experience as a radio talk show host facilitating discussion over the years, swat aside any criticism of our system by loudly attacking the American system.
They do this even when no one claims the American system is superior, and despite often being largely unaware of how it actually works. They seem to believe they are being patriotic.
But patriotism did Lori Stetina no good when she woke up feeling poorly enough to go to the hospital in Winnipeg.
“When I arrived by ambulance, I wasn’t on a bed. I was brought in sitting up inside the back of an ambulance,” said Stetina, who spoke with CTV News outside of the hospital. “When I walked in, there were people all lined up, and elderly people lined up against the wall.”
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Waited for more than 20 hours in ER
She says she waited for over 20 hours in the emergency room and didn’t get admitted until 5 a.m. on July 4.
“I was fearing for my life,” she said.
Once she was seen, it was determined that she had suffered a mild heart attack, but worse, once seen and diagnosed, she was immediately sent to emergency surgery for a perforated bowel.
Could she have died waiting in the hallway?
Could she have given up after 15 hours and gone home, only to die there?
Earlier this year, the National Post ran a story headlined, “More than 74,000 Canadians have died on health care wait lists since 2018.”
“At least 15,474 Canadians died in 2023-24 alone before receiving various surgeries or diagnostic scans. The true number is likely double,” was the sub headline.
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In light of that report, the Toronto Sun quoted Harrison Fleming, the legislative and policy director at SecondStreet.org.
“Canadians pay really high taxes and yet our health care system is failing when compared to better-performing universal systems in Europe.”
After Lori Stetina’s story came to light, CTV received a statement from the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority.
“The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority continues to work with system partners to improve patient flow and reduce wait times,” a statement from a WRHA spokesperson reads.
That is typical of a government monopoly. They never take blame, demonstrate accountability, or penalize anyone for their failings.
Wait times unacceptable
Unacceptable wait times, as compared to the rest of the developed world, have been a part of our system for decades. But don’t worry, they “are on it.” Nothing to see here.
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When a private business fails and puts people in danger, there can be hell to pay from authorities. Businesses are shamed and sometimes penalized, possibly losing their license.
Had Lori Stetina been in medical distress at a restaurant, only to be told to wait until the food delivery people showed up at 5:00 a.m. — just wait over there in a booth by the Ficca plant — what would we say about the management of that business?
Until the public demands a world-class system for the world-class money the system is provided, nothing will change.
Ms. Stetina could have died, but hey, she didn’t get a bill, did she?
– Agar is the 10 a.m. to noon host on NEWSTALK1010
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