Canada's Health Care System Doesn't Suck

First off, I'm not dying. I'm not even sick. Just having a bit of back trouble. Nothing serious.

But, I did have to have an MRI. As a precaution. Now, considering how often I've heard in the media how crazy long the MRI waiting lists are and considering how on talk radio, the MRI backlog is one of their many canards used to justify further health care privatization, when I was told I was being signed up for one, I figured, well, it'll be months before I have to worry about that. Up to a year, I figured I'd be waiting around.

So, how long did I have to wait to get an MRI?

Three weeks.

That's it. Three weeks. And it's not like they were calling me in on short notice to fill a cancellation. They phoned me a week in advance to schedule my appointment.

And you know, when the doctor was filling out my paperwork, there's a triage rating from one to five that he had to circle. And I was put at the lowest priority for an MRI. So, when the MRI people were surveying their list to decide who gets to go next, I was one of the last people they picked.

And still I got in in three weeks. I'm sure if I had something really worrisome they could have had me in even sooner.

Hats off to the folk in the General Hospital MRI clinic.

You know, I hear a lot about how broken our public health care system is. And I can't deny that I've had a few frustrating encounters with it. But most of the time I've nothing to complain about. Just wanted to get that off my chest.