My Journey Through Canada's Healthcare System: A Story of Inconsistencies

Having a family doctor is crucial for one's well-being, a fact I've come to realize through personal experience.

The author of this piece, Shannon Flaman, resides in Red Deer, Alberta, and shares her story as part of CBC's First Person series, which offers a platform for individuals to share their unique experiences and perspectives.

Following a challenging period in my life, I made the decision to relocate from Regina, my birthplace and where I raised my daughter, to Kelowna, British Columbia, in search of a fresh start and personal growth.

Upon settling in Kelowna, I secured a new place to live and completed the necessary tasks associated with relocating, including obtaining a British Columbia health card by switching my driver's license.

In my previous home, Saskatchewan, I had the security of a family doctor, despite the occasional long wait for an appointment, which was particularly important for me given my history of anxiety disorders.

As a Canadian moving to another province, I naturally assumed that access to healthcare would be universally available, regardless of my location.

However, upon arrival in the Okanagan region in 2021, I was dismayed to discover that no family doctors were accepting new patients, a situation that persisted even after I expanded my search to a 100-kilometer radius around Kelowna.

This experience quickly revealed the severity of the medical shortage in the Okanagan, highlighting a significant gap in healthcare services.

I was informed that I would be placed on a waitlist, which could take years, and that in the interim, I would have to rely on walk-in clinics for my medical needs, including prescriptions and other health issues.

However, there were two major issues with this arrangement: most walk-in clinics reached their capacity within an hour of opening, and when I finally secured an appointment, I was told that only a family doctor could refill my anxiety medication, which I didn't have.

A recent report by the Canadian Medical Association revealed that approximately 5.8 million Canadians lack access to primary care, with even those who have family doctors often finding it difficult to access them.

My only viable option was to visit the urgent care center, a walk-in clinic that serves as a bridge between primary care and emergency services in British Columbia.

Given that I wasn't in immediate emergency need, I found myself at the bottom of the waitlist, spending numerous hours in urgent care just to get a refill of my monthly prescription.

About a year into my stay in Kelowna, I inquired about how to get a Pap test and some basic blood work done, procedures that I would normally undergo with the guidance of a family doctor.

As someone who has always been proactive about my healthcare, asking these questions didn't make me uncomfortable; what did was the nurse's response, indicating that the center was primarily for urgent, not preventative, care.

I felt like I was being made to feel like I was asking for too much, but how could someone without a family doctor be expected to access basic, preventative medical care? Eventually, after sharing my history of an abnormal Pap test, the nurse reluctantly booked me for a Pap test, leaving me feeling degraded and unworthy.

It became clear that Canada's universal healthcare system doesn't function universally for those without a family doctor; while care may theoretically exist, without that primary point of contact, the care is inconsistent and often inaccessible.

Many Canadians do have family doctors, but accessing care remains a significant challenge, often leading to overcrowding in emergency rooms and urgent care centers as people seek medical attention for non-emergency needs.

This experience highlighted a broader systematic issue: the lack of access to family doctors pushes people into emergency rooms and urgent care centers for non-emergency needs, contributing to overcrowding and long wait times.

After two years, I transferred to central Alberta for work, seeking to be closer to my family, and was pleasantly surprised to find a family doctor within a few weeks, actually having several to choose from.

My new doctor in Red Deer took a thorough medical history, listened to my concerns, and even requested a mammogram given my family's history of breast cancer, booking my appointment within weeks and referring me to specialists who followed up regularly.

Having a family doctor made a significant difference in the efficiency and quality of care I received, streamlining my healthcare needs in a way that wouldn't have been possible without one.

I consider myself fortunate not to have needed emergency services in Alberta, given the strain on emergency rooms, with reports of overcrowding and patients being transferred to other cities.

Doctors in Alberta have called for the province to declare a state of emergency due to the severe overcrowding in emergency rooms, a situation mirrored across the country.

I worry about when this strain on emergency services will impact primary care, further exacerbating the existing challenges in accessing consistent, quality healthcare.

In conversations with friends and family back in Saskatchewan, I've learned that their medical system is also under significant strain, similar to my experiences in British Columbia.

My former family doctor in Regina, who is also my daughter's doctor, recently announced the closure of his clinic, affecting 5,000 patients, and my daughter has yet to secure a new family doctor, putting her at risk of fragmented care.

Canada's healthcare system is often lauded for being universal, but my personal experiences across three provinces and cities over five years have shown me that this universality is more theoretical than practical.

The type and quality of healthcare I received were directly influenced by my geographic location, a reality that I hope to change by advocating for a system that truly works for all Canadians.

Moving forward, I aim to use my voice not just for myself, but to advocate for a healthcare system that provides consistent, high-quality care to everyone, regardless of their location.

For those with compelling personal stories that can foster understanding or help others, there is an opportunity to share these experiences and contribute to the conversation about improving our healthcare system.

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