stof said:
To those criticizing my country's healthcare.
9 years ago, my father was diagnosed with testicular cancer. He received timely, top notch and entirely free healthcare in the form of operations, radiation, chemo and hormones. But despite the doctors' best efforts, my father lost that battle last August.
Before he passed, my father was at the hospital for a chemo dose when his spine became pinched off by a tumor leaving him unable to walk. He recieved an MRI the next day and spent 22 days at the hospital. He was constantly monitored by a team of nurses and several dedicated doctors. At the end of his 22 day stay he was transfered by ambulance back to our house. The only cost for those 22 days were for his cable TV, parking and the transfer home.
Though we were relieved to have him back home, there were inherent problems presented by the scenario. My father was entirely bedridden. But we knew we'd be able to look after him because of the services provided by our healthcare system. Before bringing him home a hospital bed was delivered and assembled, and an Occupational therapist came out to show us how to use it. Once my father was safely at home, we received regular visits from nurses (at least twice a week), weekly visits from a physiotherapist, weekly visits from the occupational therapist, daily visits from a home care worker ( The home care worker's job was not just to care for my father, but also to assist us by doing things like preparing meals, doing laundry or just being there so we could leave the house) and regular supply drop offs from the pharmacy.
6 weeks after my father came home, he passed away. He died in his house, surrounded by his family. A house that we'd have sold years ago if we'd been responsible for the costs of his treatment. The Canadian healthcare system wasn't able to save my father's life. But it provided him with dignity, and I'm eternally grateful for that.
|
