Fixing the health care system
Typically, when you need access to acute care in this country, you get it no problem. It’s the routine stuff that’s an issue. Millions of us don’t have a primary care physician and essentially no access to basic primary care except for routine vaccinations in schools or at the pharmacy and, well, that’s about it, really.
As a result, many people take their health concerns to the hospital for lack of other options. This costs a fortune and creates longer wait times for the people who truly need the hospital.
In my Ottawa Citizen column this week I discuss a recent initiative in Ottawa to bring paramedics and other primary care providers to residences for older adults and provide the kind of care that is designed to prevent health issues from growing into problems that require an ambulance trip to the ER. Those wellness clinics provide essential care at a fraction of the cost of hospitals and are a solution that should be expanded to all corners of the province.
