13 Comments

1. Sharron Stein makes this comment

   Friday, 16 January 2009

   My complaint is about the ethics of a family physician who suddenly closes her practise and leaves hundreds of her patients scrounging for a new doctor on a few week's notice. I have multiple medical problems re: brain aneurism, hypothyroidism and diabetes for which regular monitering are required but I am unable to get the services of a new reputable female physician on such short notice. She didn't arrange for other doctors in her clinic to take over her patients and so now I will have to go to a hospitol emergency for required monitering and prescription renewal. I was scheduled over a year ago for specialist appointments in February 2009, but with no family doctor, will they still be able to perform the required tests?

2. Debbie makes this comment

   Sunday, 15 February 2009

   My mother is in Parkridge Centre for 8 yrs she is incontinent can't walk wears depends is given a bath once a week sores on her bottom so she spends a lot of time in bed which due to history of strokes is an issue, I was told I could bath her anytime I want but this is their job exceptions must be made, also a high number of patients are Diabetic but there is no diet for them to choose from th rule is everyone gets the same choices, so we are forced to bring her the right food why do we pay for this type of care a staff member there says it isn't a care home it is an I don't care home it is time this is looked into as our elderly don't always have relatives to bring food or care for them they put that trust in the home.

3. Shelley makes this comment

   Saturday, 21 February 2009

   My mom is in a nursing home, the rent they pay is really high for some of the care that they get. Her mind is good, but she is unable to walk or stand, so has to depend on them for assistance to go to the washroom and bathing, which is only one day a week, it would be nice to see it 2 days, without having to pay extra. She requires therapy at least 2 times a week and at the present moment isn't getting any for about 2 months now.The rent keeps going up and the care going down. Some of the staff do as minimum as possible ans then the next does exceptional. Hopefully we will see a new home for some residents as ours is getting very run down. She is in a wheel chair and her room is so small tha tshe can hardly turn around in it, and the washroom is even smaller, can hardly fit her chair in it, definately nedd changes here.

4. Annonymous makes this comment

   Wednesday, 25 March 2009

   My husband has a chronic illness and when he gets sick he needs pain meds ASAP. We have a hospital in our rural community, however, that particular weekend our doctor was away. We were forced to make the trip into Swift Current in the middle of the night (about a 40 minute drive). My husband was in so much pain, he laid down on the couch in the waiting room. We were literally the ONLY people in the waiting room. After reporting to the nurses desk and waiting quite a while, the nurse called me over and told me to ask my husband to take his feet off of the couch (he was laying down in order to try to manage his pain).
   
   After finally getting a room, we gave the nurse our story and told her that he needed morphine. She asked if he could take demorol and we told her that he doesn't take it due to a family history of allergies to this drug. Her response was, "well, i guess we'll see if HE is allergic" and she proceeded to give him the shot. She left the room and I spent the next 20 minutes helping my husband in the bathroom while he threw up. We did not see a doctor that night AT ALL. At about 4am, the nurse asked us to leave. I asked her if we could please stay and have a sleep, as we had been up all night and had a long drive ahead of us. She asked if we had relatives in town we could stay with, and told me that she would help me get my husband to the car.
   
   As we were about to leave, we happened to bump into a nurse that we knew personally, who saw how distraught I was. We told her what was going on and she promptly put us into a private room with an extra bed for me to sleep in. It shouldn't take KNOWING a nurse personally to get adequate care. Those who are ill, especially, deserve to be treated with respect and dignity. I have yet to experience this in Swift Current hospital. I thank God everyday for my rural hospital and the wonderful doctor we have here.

5. Pat makes this comment

   Monday, 30 March 2009

   This is a website that many Saskatchewan people use to see comments about doctors in this province. You can also use this website to search doctors anywhere in Canada and U.S.
   http://www.ratemds.com/

6. John McConnell makes this comment

   Thursday, 02 April 2009

   The most important point I wish to make is that a public program is better than a private program.
   The second point I wish to make is that citizens will make complaints - and are to be expected but that doesn't mean they want or are well informed about a private health program
   Third point - better use could be made of the doctors, nurses and support staff.
   Thank you.

7. Taxpayer makes this comment

   Friday, 17 April 2009

   Saskatchewan should be proud of their healthcare system as it is one of the best in the world. The problem with the healthcare system is that we have private doctors dictating to a public system what they require or they threaten to leave. So why doesn’t the public health system open all the beds they want, provide all the latest surgical equipment, free up all the operating room time requested etc……Maybe its because every doctor has their own agenda and wants something different. Doctors are all private businesses and are only concerned on how well their business is doing. If we wish to improve the public system we should start hiring public doctors?

8. Bigtime taxpayer makes this comment

   Thursday, 30 April 2009

   Dear Taxpayer, I think you might be misinformed. The government of Saskatchewan is the one that dictates what a doctor can earn. That is not a private business, I haven't heard of the first plumber who's income is dictated by the government. Second, there are different methods of payment to physicians, those who are incorporated and get paid BY THE GOVERNMENT per procedure and those who are salaried and get paid again BY THE GOVERNMENT a fixed yearly amount by contract. Many of our doctors including ER, Pathology, Psychiatry are salaried and have not had a contract for YEARS. Now.... explain to me please if you will, how is this a private business, when is run by the government? I do have an answer for you on why the health system doesn't open the ORs and makes the equipment available to everyone: because that mean they would actually have to work for what they get paid.

9. gordon west makes this comment

   Thursday, 18 June 2009

   The concern I have is with addiction services in this province. If you backtrack 30 years Saskatchewan was a world leader in treatment programs for alcoholics and drug addicts.I would like to make some simple suggestions.We need more long term care for adults and for youth. Addiction programs need to be put back in the hands of people that know addictions not Mental Health workers. A central agency needs to be set up. Example we used to have SADAC but the last Govt. removed it. I have spent over 30 yrs. working with Alcoholics and Drug Addicts. This Province needs to get on track soon. People are dying. If you are looking for more money for the Health System, help people sooner with Education and help them get well with proper treatment.The Sask party better start to listen to the people that understand addictions. Thank you.

10. Colleen Bramall makes this comment

    Wednesday, 15 July 2009

    Last November I finally got into the (name of hospital deleted by webmaster) to have my back surgery.
    
    I went into Preadmissions the day before. they are so nice - you'd think I was checking into a Spa!
    
    When you come out the other side of the OR it's more like Welcome to Hell. I was on the Surgical Ward.
    
    The first nurse I saw was wearing an old pair of sweatpants I wouldn't even wear to the garden, Roughriders t-shirt and a grungy black sweater. Nice nurses uniform.
    
    The girls cleaning rooms were dressed nicer than the nurses.
    
    My Dr. said I would be in for 5 days after surgery. Monday morning at 8:30 a nurse came in an said I was being discharged. I was in NO condition to be going anywhere,told her I didn't even know if I could get ahold of my husband.(we live 4 hours away from Regina).
    
    At 10:30 AM I got ahold of my Dr's Asst.- asked her if the Dr. had discharged me. She said absolutely not and there was no way my Dr. could have known that - he'd been in OR since 7:30am.
    
    A nurse called my husband at 12:30 and was told come and get me. He "freaked out" - he'd been in the day before and knew I was in no condition to go home. Sask. was having the worst blizzard conditions possible (ER was run off their feet from all the accidents coming in.
    
    I asked the nurse "what happens if my husband can't come for me?" I was told by her (her EXACT words) "Then you better get a f*ing hotel room."
    
    My husband arrived to pick me up at 6:30PM. had borrowed a van so the back seat could lay down and piled it with quilts. They loaded me and we were sent out on the horrible roads for our drive home (6 hr in blizzard).
    
    I asked about painkillers before I left and was given 2 Tylenol. Next day was Nov 11, so there were no Dr's office open at home to get any pain medication.
    
    My back surgery was not a simple one.I had 2 - 8" rods and 6 screws in my lower back. Pretty much built me a new back and my incision is 10" long. A lady in my room who "simple" back op. 2 days before mine. I never saw her with an IV and while there, she was up singing, happy, walking, eating etc. She's from Moose Jaw - 40 miles from Reg. When I left on Monday, she was still there. I would like to know who the he!! decides who is discharged and why - obviously not my Dr!
    
    I was instructed not to sit for 8 - 10 weeks post-op (I had to lay). Didn't seem to fizz on the nurses when I was sent out in the blizzard only 2 days later.
    
    The nursing "care" (term used loosely) I received was totally pathetic -I'm sure there are higher standards of professionalism in third world countries. I will be forwarding letters to every Dept. of the hospital, nurses union, etc. - no one else should endure what I did.

11. glenn murray makes this comment

    Saturday, 08 August 2009

    I would like to give my opinion on physician remuneration in the province. I believe the physicians in this province are underpaid and the system used to reimburse them for services is flawed.
    
    Currently, many family physicians are paid per visit, at about $29 per visit. This almost forces them to see more patients in a day and spend less time with each. Remember, they must pay lease, pay for expenses (including dressings, disposable trays, sutures, etc), nurses, reception, and overhead that every business has. So, $29 doesn't go very far.
    
    Though I don't have a solid solution, I believe physicians could be compensated based on an outcome model as opposed to per visit. This allows them to spend more time with each person (which all would like to do) and really ensure quality results (which everyone wants), while not having to worry about not being able to pay the bills, the $200,000 education debt, and see an return on the 7 year time investment.
    
    What to do with all the people not being seen under this model? Well, some of the provinces are currently utilizing the services of pharmacists and nurse practicioners to manage stable, chronic conditions. It seems logical to me to use the skills of other health care professionals to lighten the load on physicians and to fully contribute to team healthcare by using their specialized knowledge base to care for SK residents. Let me know what you think.

12. Spoken One makes this comment

    Tuesday, 18 August 2009

    Hi Glenn Murray, I like what you have wrote but we still have a problems, Like I said in many of my posts, I am dealing with severe foot drop, and after reviewing my X-Rays there is a fracture in which is now worse, I have been seeing Doctors etc and not one of them are assisting in any way, So a reward system in place yes, Doctor who miss Diagnose should be held accountable to their action and fined...
    
    Its kind of funny how you say they get paid $29 per visit, thats why Doctors keep telling a person to come back numerous times while the patient suffers with major health concerns and they say nothing wrong, read the blogs they are very true people are tired of being miss treated and missed Diagnosed, and have to keep proving them selves, God I wish Someone would listen....
    
    and yes Doctors should get paid more, but only if they do their job well...

13. Jean makes this comment

    Monday, 24 August 2009

    Last year I went through emergency gall bladder surgery in Regina.
    
    In my view I received the best of care from my physician and other diagnostic staff. I was in the hospital for two days before getting into surgery. It was teh morning after that I had an LPN come into my room for pseronal care needs. I had stitches about 10 inches across my stomach area and as I was coming out of the pain medication I was having a difficult time to sit up in pbed.
    
    The staff member yanked me from the bed and showed me the way to the bathroom and threw a towel down in the sink and told me to "clean up". I could not change the gown as the IV's were attached and I felt light headed and almost fainted. All I could do was make it back to bed (without any care). The following day the staff member came back into my rooms and in an angry tone she told me that I needed to walk 4 times a day.
    
    The remainder of the staff were awesome!! I then transfered to a hospital closer to home.