I rolled-out of bed this morning at 8 a.m. and went directly to the hospital out-patients lab for my quarterly Diabetes Blood Test (A1c).
I parked on Edmonton Street, walked into the Lab Patient Waiting Area, took a self-serve ticket, noticed that it read "45", and then I sat down in a chair to wait my turn. I then glanced up at the "Now Serving" sign which read "13". I quickly calculated that 32 patients were ahead of me and I would have a minimum 2 - 3 hour wait.
I then left UHNBC and went over to the Phoenix Medical Building. There, I saw that the line-up of patients stretched out the Lab office door, past the x-ray department, past the snack bar, past the pay telephones, and right up to the elevators. Everybody was standing one their own two feet - not a chair in sight.
As a result, I returned home.
I attend the Lab at UHNBC every three months for an A1c blood test. Why can't the hospital reasonably accommodate me and the other diabetes patients? Does "Medicare" mean equal "mediocre" care for everyone?
I am giving UHNBC fair notice that I plan to return in three months - on July 8 - for my next A1c test and I expect better service.
Harry Yates
Prince George
