We gotta do something about health care.

I spent 5 hours in Emergency last night. That right, I said FIVE hours. I had myself a problem and it wasn't going to accept a 'screw it' attitude. I was doing some computer work and I picked up the open computer by the frame, and attempted to turn its orientation. I've done this a hundred times and sure, you feel that bite across the fingers, as you grip sharp sheet metal, but I've never injured myself. This was a little different. The metal bit deep into my hand. Deepre than I noticed at the time, to be perfectly honest. When I set the computer down, there was a river of blood running off my arm. I knew this was no run of the mill accident and it was quickly off to the hospital.

Never get hurt on a long weekend. This is the second, of three, long weekends in August that I've had the mistfortune of having to go to the emergency ward. And let me tell you, its the wrong time to need help. I'm not entirely sure what they are thinking, when they short staff the ER on a long weekend. Sickness does not take a long weekend. And when I arrived the place was overflowing with people, waiting for care. Despite bleeding profusely from the hand, I was directed towards a chair, and told to wait.

And the wait lasted FIVE hours. For twenty minutes of minor surgical care from a doctor that still had a long night ahead of him. I have a problem with this. Its not the doctors and nurses fault. They get scheduled, come to work, and do their job. But why aren't there more of them there? This is being repeated, time and time again. We need more people, not more pay for the one's that we have. Get enough staff on the job. Yes, they might not be at 100%, every moment of the day, but when the time comes, it'll be worth it to have enough staff.

I don't think five hours is a reasonable wait for emergency care. I actually consider that quite unacceptable. Nobody bothered to to examine me, and determine whether it was a real emergency or just a minor one. I was given some gauze and a piece of tape, and put in a waiting room. Nobody either acknowledged my existence for 4 hours. What if I lose consciousness and bleed to death in the waiting room? No it didn't happen, but it could. And that's my problem. We're sacrificing proper care for a couple of bucks. Let's set our priorities. Do we want to keep people healthy or not? I think we do.

I don't want to get on a soap box about this, but maybe its time someone did. I survived my five hour wait but how many other people have to suffer this before we say enough is enough. I can't believe there isn't a way to make health care dilligent, without breaking the bank. There has to be a solution to this. I worry that we haven't taken the right approach to solving the problem. There are bright
people in control of our affairs. Maybe we, the little people, need to properly motivate them.

I won't pretend I have the answer. I don't know all the parts of the equation. But I'm sure it has a solution.