An open letter to: The Northern Health Authority,
The Park Ave. medical building.
Dear Sirs:
I am very tired of trying to get an appointment at the Park Ave. medical building.
I try to get into my doctor and you have to book two to three weeks in advance. Or you phone and ask to see the doctor on-call and they ask you to please hold.
Then lo and behold, the doctor on-call is booked solid. Or that doctor only works until 11:30 a.m. and there is another doctor on-call in the afternoon.
But rather than let you know that there is a different doctor in the afternoon and book appointments with that doctor, they continue to put you through to the doctor that is finished in half an hour.
I feel bad for the mothers with crying children who get sent home. I am not someone who gets told “nope we can’t help you” or “please call back” but I am someone who gets angry and writes a letter of complaint.
Heaven forbid that they need some medical help anytime soon. Because guess what, they will have to deal with people exactly like themselves who pass the buck and say “oh I don’t know who you were dealing with but I can’t help you.”
My husband always complains too when you finally do get into the doctor that you have to wait.
Your appointment could be at 3:30 p.m. and you will finally get into see someone by 5:30-6 p.m.
They double book their appointments and wonder why people get angry when they finally do get in to see the doctor.
My sister went to the doctor for her daughter because her stomach was always hurting and the doctor didn’t do anything. It’s like “nope, sorry can’t help you.” What is that?
I encourage everyone not just people like myself to complain because if we don’t stand up for ourselves who will?
Double booking and not informing people that they could book with the afternoon on-call doctor is wrong. Not only are we as residents sick of this practice but we are sick and in pain. So if you have to deal with mad, angry upset patients realize that it is your receptionist and or nurses who made us this way by not helping us out or offering a simple solution as “no, that doctor is booked however you might be able to get in to see the afternoon doctor.”
Dawn (Wale) Derrick, Terrace, B.C.
