No matter what, we are getting a walk in clinic and no more.
In this community, our premier Christy Clark has recently cried about seniors costing health care $20,000 per year compared to a young person who costs about $2,000 per year.
She neglected to mention that many young people from here are working in Alberta because there are no jobs here that can support a family.
I recently became very ill and needed to see a doctor. I made the mistake of going to Nanaimo Hospital emergency. It was an experience I would not want to repeat.
The staff were excellent but the place was chaos. There were several overcrowded waiting rooms and beds all over the hallways. We were first in a waiting room and then processed to another waiting room, along with many other very sick people.
Four times I was taken down to a room to be examined. The other patients in the waiting room were taken down to the same room and the sheets were never changed between patients. After all this, the doctor said he would like to keep me in overnight for observation but I would have to sleep in the hallway. I came home with a dangerously elevated blood pressure.
There are no available beds in the Nanaimo hospital. I have been told a large part of this problem is because many unfortunately ill seniors are occupying acute care beds in Nanaimo Hospital waiting to be admitted to residential care.
Attending a recent public meeting regarding the state of seniors’ health care, I was shocked to learn that in the last 10 years the senior population has increased 43 per cent and available residential beds have been cut by over 800 beds.
What on earth is going on with the state of our health care? And government still will not finance a small overnight hospital in Oceanside.
Good luck with that redundant stopgap walk in clinic.
Gordon Hesby
Qualicum Beach