This article appears in Dec 6-12, 2007.
Walk Out of WALK-INs
To the wonderfully NON- helpful doctor at the Portland St. Family Walk-In Clinic: thanks for snidely dismissing my newly pregnant wife’s serious questions, and generally being a disgrace to your profession. It was much appreciated that you refused to re
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I had a similar experience at the Family Focus on Spring Garden. The very rude doctor couldn’t give me 5 uninterupted minutes, although I was the only patient there. Then I was told he will not help me because I do not have a family doctor, even though I was bleeding and in tears. Nice. Another time at the Planned Parenthood clinic, I was told by a female doctor that the reason for my bad period cramps is because I was most likely molested as a child. WTF??? Who the hell tells a person that??? I have given up on finding any kind or competent doctors in this city. It’s disgraceful.
The medical profession in this province is a total disgrace. My grandmother has been in hospital for two months with a broken hip and has been virtually ignored by her nurses each and every day and totally ignored by her goddamn double booking doctor. Don’t give me that shit about nurses being overworked – everytime I see those lazy cowa sitting around gossiping at their station, I want to collectively kick their fat asses. I’ve been told by outside health careworkers that if I complain, it will only make matters worse for my Gran. I hope these jerkwads get the same, cold hard treatement when they’re old and alone.
I agree! I used to work at the hospital and the complaints!! I can’t even describe…and I didn’t even work with the doctors! What I think is even funnier is that last summer I was going to the chiropractor at Scotia Square..the chiropractor that I had no medical coverage for and was paying 35$ for each 5 minute or less appointment. On my second visit there, the chiro was explaining things to me and apparently he was taking too long so they started knocking on the door in the middle of my appointment! I WAS LIVID…these guys are pulling in so much money it makes me sick!
many doctors think that they are somehow better than other people, they got into it for the money, not the healing, fuk them, do your own research and take care of yourself as much as you can, there are some cool doctors, unfortunatly they’re the minority
I’m one of the lucky ones – my doctor’s office staff has always been courteous and professional and they cover each other when one is away. My problems have been with certain specialists who look at you like you are a piece of shit. Fifteen years ago I went to one of said professionals to check out a rash. The doctor looked at me, a 14 year old with month old chicken pock marks just starting to fade, told me he doesn’t deal with disgusting problems that were not the point of the referral and tried to usher me out of his office. Luckily my mom was there to ensure the problem I had waited 5 months to fix WAS dealt with, but not before my teenage self esteem was forever scarred by this big headed jerk off. Standards need to be set and a relevant and respectful complaint process put into action.
I met a wonderful man the other day who was a doctor (GP). Unfortunately this fairly new immigrant to Canada was driving a taxi.
My wife and I did not have a family doctor at the time we got pregnant; we went to the family focus clinic on Joseph Howe, and one of the doctors there was also accepting patients. We thought this was great. For the first (and only) three appointments, the receptionists forgot about us, and we had to wait over an hour each time. They had not even recorded the appointment! The doctor was very rude. On the third appointment, she listened for the babies heartbeat. She could not find it, and said, “Well, you’re probably not pregnant anymore. Go get a blood test, and I’ll see you in a month.” Really! We were 3 months along, and this is the care we received. Needless to say, me and my distraught wife secured a new doctor. We saw her that very day, and the new doctor had no problem finding the heartbeat. Such incompetance and lack of care at the family focus. It still angers me. That little heartbeat the family focus doctor told us was not there is now a happy, healthy ten month old.
I agree that the Walk in Clinics in Halifax are absolutely useless! I have been to 3 of them on 3 separate occasions and EACH TIME the attending doctor appeared completely incompetent and said that he/she did not know what the problem was, and to just wait and see my own doctor when she was back. Really…what is the point of even going to one of them? I might as well have stayed home and suffered until Monday instead of letting them benefit from my MSI coverage for not even doing anything. My next door neighbour could have given me the same advice as that doctor…for free! All those Walk in Clinic doctors want is to be paid for doing squat. And they bank on people who don’t complain about them or spread the word about how incompetent they are. Now, after really learning my lesson 3 out of 3 times, believe me, if you’re sick on a weekend, you’re much better off just going to the QEII and packing some food for the many hours you’ll likely have to wait! But at least when you’re seen, you’ll get someone who knows something, or if not, can find someone else there who does!
I agree that the Walk in Clinics in Halifax are absolutely useless! I have been to 3 of them on 3 separate occasions and EACH TIME the attending doctor appeared completely incompetent and said that he/she did not know what the problem was, and to just wait and see my own doctor when she was back. Really…what is the point of even going to one of them? I might as well have stayed home and suffered until Monday instead of letting them benefit from my MSI coverage for not even doing anything. My next door neighbour could have given me the same advice as that doctor…for free! All those Walk in Clinic doctors want is to be paid for doing squat. And they bank on people who don’t complain about them or spread the word about how incompetent they are. Now, after really learning my lesson 3 out of 3 times, believe me, if you’re sick on a weekend, you’re much better off just going to the QEII and packing some food for the many hours you’ll likely have to wait! But at least when you’re seen, you’ll get someone who knows something, or if not, can find someone else there who does!
Wow! I can’t believe others are having such a problem with the Joseph Howe Family Focus. I’d bet 5 bucks on it that we delt with the same rude, older, female doctor. My experience was a bit different, but I have HPV virus…or also known as Genital Warts. Having this was one of the biggest disapointments of my life. I’ve been living with it for some time and have delt to my best abilities to live with it. My previous doctor was at St Mary’s university, but I no longer go to school there, so I had to get a new doctor. I went to Joseph Howe to get a new doctor. I advised the doctor of what I have, and the treatment that I’ve gotten since I was diagnosed. Painfully, they are removed by Liquid Nitrogen, but only a drop is added to get rid of it…and it only takes a few seconds. This BITCH of a doctor refused to do the procedure, but other alternative medication is Very expensive,even if you have a good medical plan. I argued with her to do it, because I don’t want to pass it onto my loving partner. She finally agreed and said the procedure was a bit different than what I usually got, but Liquid Nitrogen was still used. That bitch Burnt the Fuck out of me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!She held it down for 1 minute on each infected area. It hurt a lot more than what I was used to, but I figured she knew what she was talking about. When we were FINISHED, she told me that the procedure was going to cost me 10.00. I had no money at the time. So I went home, and I found it very difficult to walk after this. As soon as I got home, I looked down and there were 5 different burn marks on my inner legs and vaginal area the size of a loonie or bigger. I was so upset, and it hurt to even walk for 3 days. This happened about 5 months ago and I still have scarres from the experience. I will NEVER go back to that place. Its like she held it down on purpose because SHE didn’t want to do the procedure. I have never been treated so inhumaine in my entire life. So watch yourself with the older,non white, rude female doctor at Joseph Howe Family Focus.
As someone who works in the health care industry I take note of all you complainers out there…especially when 50% of the people walking through the clinic I work at don’t have even the sense to come with their health card for their visit, even though they know they are coming to the doctor…I know you might be on file (or you could be a student from out of country), how would we know without proper ID, but it may only take one bill in your name that MSI won’t cover because “you forgot” your covarage at home to get you complaining all over again about how the government is not covering our asses. OR those people who make appointments and then not bother to show up or call…those are the ones who should NOT be covered by MSI and have to pay some sort of percentage of the time they waste, especially for the specialists who require at least a four to six month wait list to be seen. I’ll let someone else listen to the despondant mothers crying and complaining of the wait times for their child to get seen by the specialist. Some days it takes all I can muster to make it through just one of those calls! (I whould of course tell all those pregnant women out there if they are having any problems and face some of the nitwit situations you have described, go immediately to the IWK Health Centre/Women’s services, they will fix you up proper.
Dear frustrated health care worker, I just finished reading all the complaints above and you are missing the point you stupid cunt! People are complaining about the service or lack there of. Not about who is paying for the LTO. But you summed it up in your closing statement….go immediately to the IWK Health Centre/Women’s services, they will fix you up proper. Meaning wherever the fuck you work, they can’t provide to propoer care. Oh and by the way, just incase you don’t make it through one of those calls or better yet days. I hope you fucking die on the spot, because there are not enough professionals in Metro to help you.
Good lord. Everyone has to deal with shitty situations, including frustrated health care workers. She didn’t miss the point, she just made one of her own. Patients aren’t the only people with the right to be frustrated. Grow up a bit, or at least try to muster a shred of respect.
you are disgusting wishing someone would die, where is your sense of decency? ‘
I’m going to let you know my problem. I had a doctor at the Family Focus clinc on Joseph Howe. She was a fucking dumbass doctor. At 4 months pregannt already with blood pressure problems and bleeding problems SHE REFUSED TO SEND ME TO THE PERINATAL CENTRE AT THE IWK! Upon switching doctors, and finally getting reffered, the doctor at the IWK said that she should loose her licence to practice because no only did she almost allow my child to die, but she put my own life at risk! And what happens when I make an official complaint to the family focus centre and health board of nova scotia, “we’re sorry miss, but it says nothing of these symptoms of instances in your file.”Fuck you family focus!
People, use your judgment. If you are pregnant and worried about complications, don’t go to Family Focus clinics. Or any clinic for that matter. Go to Emergency – they have the equipment and staff to deal with potential problems. Clinics are staffed with GPs who are probably burnt out and past the point of caring. Go when you have an ear infection or something minor. Yes, there are still good doctors and nurses and staff out there. But they are tired of seeing people with runny noses, diarrhea or menstrual cramps. And people who don’t have an MSI card. And people who forget what they made the appointment for. If more people used the system properly then there would not be a bunch of burnt out, uncaring medical staff!
To Tired of ignorant jackasses and disgusted by….., you can both go fuck yourselves!!! This was my point.
the disgusting attitude of ‘Discussed with…frustrated health care worker’demonstrates again his/her immaurity, way to go