British Columbia – Surgery Wait Lists Vary Widely
Two patients limp into two British Columbia hospitals, both requiring hip replacements. The first patient gets examined within the hour, x-rayed the same day and has surgery the following week.
The second waits two weeks to see a family doctor, then eighteen more weeks to see an orthopedist, where x-rays are taken, but aren’t seen for another six months. Finally, surgery is booked for six months in the future, but gets cancelled after five and half months due to unavailable surgeons. After eighteen months, the information becomes too old, so the process needs to be repeated.
Why such different treatments? The first patient is a dog. The second patient is a senior citizen.
