Take it from me, socialized medicine sucks. I have an entrapped ulnar nerve up here in Canada. Actually, the ulnar nerve is in my left hand, but the hand is in Canada. It become damaged 6 months ago. Since then, the muscles in my left hand have atrophied to the point that my left hand looks it belongs on some other person. I have yet to have surgery scheduled. Why? The interim six months have been spent waiting for appointments to see 3 people: the neurologist, and two orthopaedists. (The first orthopaedist, a guy with a surly attitude, a long beard, and a turban, did such a poor job according to the neurologist, I had to wait two more months to see another one.) I have yet to have the appointment to see the actual surgeon who will do the actual operation to relieve the actual entrapment. This is an operation I knew I had to have as soon as I googled the problem 6 months ago. Nonetheless, there are procedures and protocols that must be observed. I live in a major city, yet today I had to drive 60 miles to see a neurologist for a total of 4 minutes so that he could tell me that he will schedule an appointment for me to see a surgeon. I expect that to take another 3 months. The appointment. The surgery will take 3 months after that. The surgeon, the god of all doctors, is the final destination of this process. You see him only after you have run the gauntlet.
So much time has gone by, I may never regain full use of my left hand. Time is of the essence. Yet the waiting periods for appointments are so long because there are so few specialists. Socialized medicine means rationing services. And money, if you have it, is not a tool to improve your lot. It is illegal to pay for faster services. You, comrade, must remain in line with everybody else. As Winston Churchill said, “Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery. ” Rich or poor, you all stand in a 1984-style line to wait the “free” services.
What do Canadians do who have more pressing matters with regard to their health care? Well, they go to a place that does not have socialized medicine. The States, of course. My brother’s chronic septic nerve acted up last year and he could barely walk. Through a contact, and only through a contact, he was able to get an appointment for surgery quickly, but he needed an MRI. But the waiting time to get one was months. (Canada is not an advanced enough country to have many of those machines with technicians who can use them.) So he drove over the border into the US and got one the next day.
Socialized medicine is great if you just need to see your family doctor for an ear ache. The visit is free. You still have to pay for your medication. Even socialized medicine is not that generous. But if you need more specialized services, because, oh let’s say, you have an entrapped ulnar nerve, a very common occurrence, well, then socialized medicine falls on its face. If you need surgery to remove a brain tumor, it’s no longer a joke.
My condition is not so pressing. I can still walk and can go about my daily life. Although, my typing has been hampered by the fact that two of my fingers are on strike. The only consolation in this experience is that my nerve problem is, in a microcosm, what ails western society: The left causes a problem, the right has to pick up the slack, and the government is in no rush to fix things.
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