By Pepper Parr
May 21st, 2025
BURLINGTON, ON
Public health works!
My doctors have me doing a bunch of tests – THEY want to keep me alive.
Lungs (I never smoked), heart, ear nose and throat stuff.
The process was simple; the time of day was a bit awkward, but there are only so many hours in a day and only so many CAT scan machines.
One of the tests was a CAT scan. The appointment was at 10:15 PM – that’s what was available unless I wanted to wait a couple of months.
The CAT scan was a nice, clean, efficient process. Once I was registered and in the waiting area – it was less than ten minutes before they brought me into the room with the equipment, laid me down, ran the machine and then told me I could go home.
The only thing that bothered me was that there weren’t all that many people waiting for their CAT scans.
If the nurses and technicians can work late night shifts, the public can get off their ‘derriers’ and accept late appointments.
We get a lot of bitching and bellyaching over the quality of the service at hospitals – look south to the United States and thank whichever God you have for the public health service in this country.
The battle for Ontario is to ensure that health services continue to be public. Do everything you can to resist the privatization that Doug Ford is trying to push on us.
I needed an MRI and had to go to Hamilton General Hospital as Joseph Brant Hospital did not do this particular MRI.
I got an appointment within 2 weeks of the referral because I decided to take the 2AM appointment rather than wait approximately 6 months to get an appointment between 8am-5pm.
It turned out to be wonderful. There was no traffic going from Burlington to Hamilton. We also were able to park right at the entrance of the Hospital and the area was quiet.
I did have a CT Scan at the Joseph Brant Hospital on a Sunday about a year ago. However, I don’t think Joseph Brant Hospital offers these services 24/7 and some other services are not available on Saturday or Sunday.
It makes perfect sense to operate these scans, ultrasounds and MRI’s 24/7. Of course hospital budgeting and funding comes into play.
You did not say how long it took to get the appointment for the Scan.
45 to 50 days