Jessie

Canada does not suck. It is not a third world country. Please visit the starving, dying people of Africa and tell them you have it just as bad in Canada.

Unfortunately, good medical care in Canada is not as easy to obtain as some make it seem, and as many eager, naive and often misinformed immigrants believe it will be. Getting good medical care requires being very proactive in finding a family doctor, often through contacts which immigrants may be unfairly lacking. You don't need to be friends with a doctor, but your friends and colleagues may be able to tell you when their doctor is taking new patients. Doctors do take new patients regularly, especially in better serviced areas like Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa (you would have far greater difficulty in Northern Ontario for example). The thing is they often will not post the fact they are taking new patients publicly because they do not want to be flooded with requests.

It is difficult to deal with the fustrations of finding a doctor, being proactive in having your medical concerns addressed properly and getting the referals you want. As fustrating as this is please keep in mind that Canadians value what they see as politeness. If you are seen as being too bossy or demanding you will all too often not get the assistance you want and may desperately require. Be polite, respectful and firm. You may think you are already doing this but the number of comments on here describing hatred for the country, government, medical system and medical professionals indicates an enormous anger and fustration that may come through in your dealings with these professionals. They deal with a lot of angry people and may not be eager to deal with more.

No one, 100% Canadian or fresh in the country should walk around with an arrogant sense of entitlement. Also, saying "Canada belongs to the native people" is not respectful of native people. I have some native heritage, most Canadians going back several generations in the country do. But using them to justify your own entitlement does nothing to help them get what they deserve. Nothing. If you really felt that only native people were entitled to Canada you wouldn't have come here. If you felt that and came anyway you are no better than others who came here. Very few people here were among those fighting the natives 300 years ago, and many of the voyageurs and others exploring (and exploiting) the natives back then also had children with them.

Good luck getting the medical treatment you and your family require.

alsa88@gmail.com 18 Aug 2009, 09:26 - Report