For those of us who
live in the North, Healthcare is a need just
like the rest of the province; however when looking at this through a
neoliberal lens.
When
reflecting back over the articles I have read I have come to see that
the main issue is not necessarily a shortage but as discussed by Lofgren, De.
eeuw, and Leahy, 2011 "it is also the fact that we now have a secondary
role in decision making as discussed" (p. 193). There
is also a misdistribution of health practitioners and doctors. Health care professionals
seem to prefer larger cities for their
practices and as a result there are fewer in the smaller Northern and rural communities of Ontario. Although Canada prides itself on a health care system that is “universal and accessible”, in some
ways it falls short of that promise to people (Human Resources for Health,
2012).
I truly
believe that for individuals living in the North and rural areas having to
travel hundreds of miles for specialized care is unfortunate. Also it is very
sad that there are not enough doctors in some areas and thus patients must use
walk-in clinics or go to the emergency department of the local hospital simply
to refill prescriptions. I know that there are many individuals who are dealing
with this today and believe it needs to be addressed. I find in both articles
there is discussion of it being addressed; however, it still seems to fall
short of the actual need.
There was discussion in this article of a study to find ways to alleviate the
strain of the shortages in many areas in Northern part of Ontario. Many
strategies such as financial incentives, rural medical training and recruitment
programs have been proposed (Human Resources for Health, 2012). I do not know
if using these methods in the future will alleviate the issue but it sounds
promising and I believe at this point that anything is worth a try (Human Resources for
Health, 2012). The other article I read on the accessibility of health care in
the North, by (Pong , 2012) describes the
many initiatives that Ontario has launched to rectify this issue. According to
this article, many of these rural areas experience difficulty in securing
health care because they are located a long distance from larger areas, have
low populations, and some are in remote areas with limited accessibility
(Pong , 2012). I felt that the issue was
taken seriously, is being well researched and appropriate steps are being taken
to find solutions. Do I agree with either of these articles? I will say that I
agree with them both to some degree; however, I think more needs to be done to
ensure that there is adequate health care to all of Ontario including the
Northern and rural areas.
Angela
Human Resources for Health, retrieved from
http://www.human-resources-health.com/content/6/1/24 on November 1,
2012
When reflecting back over the articles I have read I have come to see that the main issue is not necessarily a shortage but as discussed by Lofgren, De. eeuw, and Leahy, 2011 "it is also the fact that we now have a secondary role in decision making as discussed" (p. 193). There is also a misdistribution of health practitioners and doctors. Health care professionals seem to prefer larger cities for their practices and as a result there are fewer in the smaller Northern and rural communities of Ontario. Although Canada prides itself on a health care system that is “universal and accessible”, in some ways it falls short of that promise to people (Human Resources for Health, 2012).
I truly believe that for individuals living in the North and rural areas having to travel hundreds of miles for specialized care is unfortunate. Also it is very sad that there are not enough doctors in some areas and thus patients must use walk-in clinics or go to the emergency department of the local hospital simply to refill prescriptions. I know that there are many individuals who are dealing with this today and believe it needs to be addressed. I find in both articles there is discussion of it being addressed; however, it still seems to fall short of the actual need.
There was discussion in this article of a study to find ways to alleviate the strain of the shortages in many areas in Northern part of Ontario. Many strategies such as financial incentives, rural medical training and recruitment programs have been proposed (Human Resources for Health, 2012). I do not know if using these methods in the future will alleviate the issue but it sounds promising and I believe at this point that anything is worth a try (Human Resources for Health, 2012). The other article I read on the accessibility of health care in the North, by (Pong , 2012) describes the many initiatives that Ontario has launched to rectify this issue. According to this article, many of these rural areas experience difficulty in securing health care because they are located a long distance from larger areas, have low populations, and some are in remote areas with limited accessibility (Pong , 2012). I felt that the issue was taken seriously, is being well researched and appropriate steps are being taken to find solutions. Do I agree with either of these articles? I will say that I agree with them both to some degree; however, I think more needs to be done to ensure that there is adequate health care to all of Ontario including the Northern and rural areas.
This is so true. Personally, I have had the same doctor since I was a older child, 27 years old now that's a while. My mom, dad and two sisters also had the same doctor as did my two daughters. My doctor decided to leave her practice and move down south. Great! Because of the shortage of doctors we have in Timmins, we were left with no family doctor. Thankfully for me, there was a nurse practitioner who worked in the office that I had seen on multiple occasions because my family doctor was too busy to see me every month during both of my pregnancies. She offered to take me and my two daughters on. My mom was diagnosed with cancer 5 years ago and could not be left without a doctor so arrangements were made for her with a nurse practitioner she had seen as well. However, my two sisters and dad are left with no family doctors. For them this means hours and hours of wait time at a clinic where sometime's the doctor doesn't even show up till the last hour it is open and can't see everyone. It means going through hoops to try to get refereed to any services they need or test that may have to take. I am lucky I am able to see someone, not everyone is. Canada has an amazing health care system, but what good is it if you a can't access its services. Personal experience have made me see the great importance in educating people of the North to become doctors and keeping them here. This is so important for our future. Angele
ReplyDeleteThis is exactly what I was talking about, and it is so unfortunate that those up here in the North suffer for the decisions made in the south. I feel like we are penalized for being so far north and away from the main regions of Ontario and as a result sure they will take the resources we can ship them and make a profit of it all however there is little recognition, and little benefit for us as a result of that! I think that the people in northern and rural area's need to be heard about so many situtaions and this is just one of them, thanks Angele!
ReplyDeleteAngela Julianj
I have personally felt the effect of a failing healthacre and understand its importance in many different ways. My daughter at 6 years old was diagnosed with genetic dental hyperplasia. We were given healthy smiles programming (as her estimated cost between age 6 and adulthood is $30,000) to help offset the large financial costs of this genetic defect, but there was not a single dentist between sault ste marie and toronto that would accept this particular funding. My daughter was 8 years old by the time we found a dentist that would see her, and that was after a process of contacting the local MP, media, and social agencies. The lack of practitioners in Northern Ontario gives practitioners little time to see patients with extensive issues and the lack of funding to be able to accept social funding for individual patients.
ReplyDelete-Larissa
Hello Larissa,
ReplyDeleteI cannot imagine how trying all of this must have been on you, it is definately unfortunate when we suffer as a result of lacking health care; however its really horrible when the little ones suffer as a result as well. I feel very strongly about the issues with health care that we as northern and rural communities deal with. I look forward to seeing positive change at some point in all of this. Thanks for sharing your experience.
Angela
Hey Angela,
ReplyDeleteBeen there done that, I as well as family members have had to travel to southern communities to see professionals. It is hard because first it’s very costly and time consuming. Not to mention the long drive ahead of you as well as the long wait time to schedule an appointment with the doctor. In addition, if something were to come up or happen like a loss of a loved one, an illness, you cannot simply rebook, you need to cancel hotels and your travel plans, which can become quiet costly. The north is definitely at a disadvantage when it comes to health care and having the right doctors for the right illness or disorder we are diagnosed with.
Christine -NRC