April 16th, 2015
Late last summer (2014) I started having intermittent lower back pain. By December it was daily and unremitting. After seeing my primary care doctor I was sent for an x-ray. This showed an abnormality in the lumbar spine, but the cause was not clear so a CT scan was ordered. I had to wait until April 17th-almost 4 months. In that time the pain became worse and the meds offered became ineffective. The day finally came for my CT scan, but when I arrived at the hospital they had no record of my appointment. I cried all the way home. No-one could give me any answer as to what had happened and now it looks as though I'll have to wait another 4 months to gain access to the test that may-and only may-lead to a resolution of my problem.
I would gladly pay a reasonable user fee to access necessary tests to speed up recovery time. It seems to me that it would be more cost effective for the health system in the long run-I'd be spending less time on doctor visits, medications etc. Not to mention my using a private testing facility would free up space in the public system for those who couldn't afford the private fees. You think millionaires wait for the public system to resolve their medical issues? Or do they just fly off to the clinic of their choice for the care they need? We already have a two tier system-one for the rich and the government run one for the rest of us.
