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Letter: Experiences at two walk-in clinics time-consuming and frustrating

Editor: It becomes hard to focus on one subject when there is so many out there that need immediate attention.

Recently, I went to a new medical clinic that just opened up in Langley because I had been told they were taking new patients. Wrong. That practice stopped a couple of weeks ago and the room was full of walk-ins, the sick, and the patients who are in need of medical help.

I left and went back there in a couple of days later as a walk-in. To my surprise, there were no patients in the room and I thought how lucky can I be.

Joy! No, not joy, the doctor I was told will be away for a while and the one coming in at 2 p.m. is already booked. I left.

I phoned up to another medical centre, a walk-in clinic, and asked how long the wait is before you saw a doctor.

“Twenty minutes,” was the response.

I walked to the bus stop and waited half an hour for the bus, arrived at the clinic and asked how long the wait was. “Forty five minutes,” was the response.

I put my name on the list.

There was standing room only when I arrived there and I waited for 50 minutes and asked again, how long the wait is.

“Forty five minutes or longer,” was the response. I left out of frustration and out of medical care.

This is a true story, but, I am sure there are many more like this from the people who seek medical help and attention in this province and in this community, and who see this as par to what we have become accustom to.

A change is needed. It’s called caring and medical care, and providing a fundamental right.

If governments and medical doctors cannot achieve this basic, fundamental practice of well-being we should consider an operation, and the public will be the surgeon who will diagnose, administer and perform its duty.  It’s called the boot, and it is always administered without an anesthetic.

Just a footnote, I have multiple medical problems, but you can only relay one problem per visit with a clinic doctor.

If a human being is suffering at the time with more than one — “Tough, suffer away.”

That’s what we call medical care in this province. Barbaric.

Next episode in the tale will be the hospital emergency and can one vote for civilized medical care.

Cran Campbell,

Langley