Dr. Lynsey Bartlett made national news when she let 100 patients go last week.  CTV reported it as 200.

She was charting until midnight, spending 1/3 of her day with complex mental health patients and could not afford to hire more staff to help out.

She was simply overwhelmed.

Many docs do what Bartlett did, but they go quietly. They trim office hours or join larger groups.

Patients wait longer for next-available appointments. But no one sees it in the news. Access changes like the tide, quiet and slow.

The tide has shifted, in Ontario. Continue reading “Simply Overwhelmed”

Toronto swooned over Senator Bernie Sanders last weekend. He came to visit Canadian healthcare.

He came, ostensibly, to learn.

He visited three of the shiniest, most advanced hospitals in Canada. Each of them fundraises more money than the total budgets of many smaller hospitals.

Wealthy people donate hundreds of millions to fund hospitals close to wealthy neighbourhoods. Sanders saw only the best, and he liked what he saw.

After his tour, he said Canadians were too quiet about our system. Continue reading “Weekend With Bernie While Canada Waits”

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attacked doctors in the House of Commons this week.

As doctors struggle to rebuild from 5 years of cuts and attacks, Trudeau decided to throw his own punches.

How much more can doctors take?

Has there been a month when doctors were not under attack in recent memory?

Ontario’s doctors react to comments made in the House of Commons

Toronto, Ont., Sept. 20: The comments made by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in the House of Commons on Monday, Sept. 18, are unacceptable to myself and physicians across Ontario. These comments undercut the hard work and long hours that doctors dedicate to providing quality patient care. Continue reading “Ontario’s doctors react to comments made in the House of Commons”