The format of a My Take is 150 words – no more, no less – to express an opinion on a different topic each week. This week’s topic was emergency services.
Earlier this week, the local healthcare network encouraged people in the Townships to “consider their options” before heading to the emergency department, because the already stressed and limited ERs get busier over the holidays.
From an organizational point of view, I understand; this province’s healthcare system has got to be the biggest puzzle the government has to face, but are we really going to pretend that people are going to the hospital as anything other than a last resort?
It’s all well and good to tell people to wait it out for a day or consider other options in the abstract, but I don’t know anyone who would choose to lose hours of their day sitting in pain and uncertainty if they have any better options.
Yes, 811 is an important resource, but this approach just seems like encouraging people to second-guess their own suffering.
