I described my friend’s experience with the Canadian Healthcare system previously and got some comment action on it. The patient’s mother I believe asked that I post a follow-up. Allison continued with the Facebook messages to describe the surgery day:
“[S]he was awake. They just numbed her foot. It was in the exam room.”
Here’s another socialized medicine outtake for you: surgery to repair a small sensory nerve and tendon is not traditionally performed in an exam room at least not here in America. I wonder if they used magnification?
“They fixed her for now….
He tried for like 2 hours. The ends became frayed. It kept shortening up and he had a hard time. He was a 4 year resident. So the big doc came in”
Great, so she was a resident case done under local in an exam room. The environment was low key. Nurse Allison was present and took pictures during the case. I’d bet medical malpractice in Canada is a less common event than it is here.
Sure there are health insurance issues in the United States, but the quality of care is better…at least better than that which Allison’s friend experienced in Canada. Hopefully she will do fairly well. I sincerely doubt the nerve repair was very good. She will likely have sensory loss on that part the foot. Whether or not the tendon repair will fare better time will only tell. Delay and lower quality are natural consequences to socialized medicine.
I still conclude with the same statement: Are we ready for this in America? The President keeps talking about “cheaper, better healthcare.” This case in Canada was much cheaper than what would have occurred in America, but it is doubtful if it will turn out to be better….really doubtful.
Best Regards,
John Di Saia MD
I hope this woman’s troubles end here.
There may be another update on the horizon.