Stonetoss comic on free speech.
(media.kotakuinaction2.win)
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This is often the case, but I wonder how much it's blown out of proportion and how much it isn't. I'm Canadian, so we have our own similar system to Europe's - and it's not so bad if you just need to go to a clinic because you've got a flu, or you've got some ache or pain - especially if you have the time to show up early in the morning, you'll be seen almost instantly (and some clinics will let you schedule your visit online before hand too).
But, it's also as you say that sometimes you need a surgery, or to see an expert and it's like "Welp, 8 month wait for the expert, then 5 months for the surgery - here's some medication that'll help with the pain and try not to become addicted to it." Our hospital emergency room wait times are occasionally in the realm of decent? I had stones last year, had to go to the hospital a few times for it. Often I had a 4 hour wait in rather excruciating pain (even once they had diagnosed me previously, had it on record, knew what the situation was). And that 4 hour wait was "high priority" as well - I think the only higher level is if you're having heart attack level stuff go on. Probably should've thrown up in the hallway as opposed to outside, would've gotten faster treatment :)
You are correct. My sinus infection was no biggie, they checked me out and I was out of there.
Here specifically things like replacing a joint is fucking long, though. You know, grandma needs a hip joint replaced? Come back next year, bye. By then the other leg she uses to kind of make up for the bad one will also be fucked. Thanks.
My sister had that with her ankle. It got twisted, couldn't snap back into place and turns out, some of the ligaments were ripped a bit. She had to wait a few hours when you could see she was fucked. Then the doc called in a bunch of med students to see how to put it back in place, which he FAILED, but he kept trying to show the kiddos. By the time my sister was almost passing out she very firmly told him to fucking stop, because the issue felt like it was bigger than just snapping the ankle back in place.
You can see similar issues here in the US depending on the area and case. TL;DR, it's mostly due to government interference with the "market". There's so much government-regulation and union shit with hospitals that it's not really "private" health care anymore.
For example, 4-hour emergency room waits for "high priority" are entirely possible, but that's because emergency rooms are legally not allowed to turn people away, so many people (who have no intention of paying) use them for regular doctors visits; Or as my paramedic brother described to me, simply getting rides to a different part of town along with a free sandwich and hopefully some free painkillers.
You can sometimes get in for surgeries within a week, but in more high-demand areas it can become months (seems especially bad for gynecological stuff).
Let's be real, without some kind of disincentive for abuse (financial or otherwise), there will always be morons that go there for things like the sniffles.