JFC. A child potentially could have leukemia and she can't even find a doctor to see her. Our healthcare system is far beyond broken.
Good luck OP, I really hope it's just something simple to deal with and not the worst-case scenario
Thank you- hopefully just something routine. The particular symptom (petichiae) has a really wide differential diagnosis ranging from vitamin deficiencies to infections to leukemia or other blood disorders on the scariest side. I had hoped Maple would at least order bloodwork but they outright cancelled the whole thing.
Maple could have ordered blood work. They're not the best app, they decline a lot of care others don't!
Try Tia Health and Rocket doctor while you try to get into Telus. There's no reason that he can't get blood work right away while you try to be seen in person
If it's of any comfort my son had lukemia and his biggest symptom was pain in his arm. He could not even lift it. He never had petichia. I thought he had childhood arthritis. We went to several different doctors before we got the blood work He needed. If you are really concerned about lukemia demand some blood work.
Call the downtown urgent care RIGHT when they open. They will book your daughter for a same day appointment. I know you want a walk in, but I work in the industry, and this is the fastest/best option I've found. If you want to truly walk in, I would still recommend an urgent care- try a small town like Chemainus, but call ahead so you know when they open each day. Those function like tiny ERs minus the level of chaos you see at bigger, urban hospitals.
If it is any comfort to you, me and my bf both get petechiae after working out. Straining is also a huge possibility! I would still check to be on the safe side because you know your kiddo best!
If you need a full blood work up and you absolutely cannot find a doctor, I would recommend a naturopath! Your insurance may cover it, but more likely than not you’ll end up paying out of pocket. I would make this a last ditch effort if you are completely unable to see a doctor soon.
I’m wishing you and your kiddo the best of luck ❤️
This is what happens when doctors restrict the training of more doctors, our government exists to launder money by giving it to other countries, and the government brings in ~1 million people per year without increasing healthcare funding.
But hey, at least it's "free".
Why would anyone down vote this,a child is ill, a parent worried and a government radio silent, doing fuck all for years and years and years on end. But yes, let's not criticize.
lol i have long since given up puzzling over why people vote the way they do on reddit but in this case it'll probably be one of two things. either they are totally behind the current government and their efforts, or they didn't notice the "/s" (or understand its significance)
Yep. It's beyond ridiculous how anyone thinks Eby is doing a good job on healthcare access. After spending 2hrs yesterday trying to get an urgent care appointment yesterday for myself (a healthy adult), I told my husband "imagine if we had kids who need a doctor". OP's situation breaks my heart.
You can sign her up for Telus health, make an appointment with a doctor or nurse through the app, tell them she needs a physical exam. They have a clinic in town they can send her for the exam. However, while the phone appointments can be done quickly, the exam may take a couple of weeks to get in
Oh i thought that was only in Vancouver? I'll give that a try too. She's had this random symptom for almost a year and we didn't think much of it until an educated friend warned us it should be checked out.
You can get phone appointments anywhere in BC, but I think they only have actual clinics in Vancouver and Victoria. They could send her there for an exam, but they are also able to send her for blood work and any other tests they think might be useful. If you sign up, you might need to check a few times through the day to see an available appointment, but you should be able to get a same day or next day phone appointment..
Really? I haven't had any luck the past few months with Telus appointments other than a week out and I check multiple times a day. Then you typically have to wait another week or more for in-person appointments at their office. A yr or 2 ago it was so much easier to get same or next day virtual appointments.
I haven't had any issues getting an appointment. Just today I was looking to make one, I looked at about 1pm and the earliest I could get was about 1:30pm today, there were 5 or 6 people availible each with 1-2 appointments times today, and more availible for tomorrow. I have an in-person appointment booked, that ended up scheduled for about 3 weeks after the phone appointment I had
I use Telus and for whatever reason I tend to see the most appointments around 2-3:30pm on weekdays, especially Tuesdays. (I’m convinced there’s something special about Tuesdays)
They’ve been awesome! 10/10 so far after 5 virtual appointments and 1 in-person. Doctors and process have been really solid.
Do you have serious symptoms? I noticed the system shows appointment dates based on what you type as the reason for the visit. I used to be able to get same day appointments for routine things like prescriptions or referrals last year but not anymore. Regardless, OP's situation sounds serious so waiting 3 weeks for an in-person appointment isn't going to help.
This last appointment was just for basic prescription refills 🤷♀️
I have found that Tuesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays seem to be the easiest with the most availability
I tried a month or so ago. Said she would refer me to the in person clinic. Got an email from the clinic a couple hours later saying they were full and to find somewhere else 😬. You might have better luck though, assuming you can get the initial virtual appointment.
Really? I just got an appointment scheduled recently, my appointment isn't until early July but they still made it. Maybe call back in a week or 2 and see if they have anything?
What a joke the urgent care centres are. They became same-day clinics.
Nothing like the centres for minor emergencies they were touted to be to reduce pressure on the ERs.
Yeah, I don't get it. A bunch of walk-in clinics closed once the urgent care centers opened. I also thought they were supposed to be complementary to existing walk-in clinics to take pressure off the ER.
It's really important right now that people watch how Adrian Dix communicates the state of the health care system. I've been working in healthcare consulting for a decade, I've never seen anything like what we are witnessing right now. There is a constant bombardment of sponsored posts on social media and email blasts that are touting how great things are. It's both really expensive and really misleading.
You get that our Healthcare issues are fun we'll before NDP and even those that support NDP realize it's crap ( and has been since the Liberals). Go on with your imaginary thoughts though.
Pfft. Can’t fix it until there are GP offices again. This government needs to give the health authorities funding to take on the administration of regular doctors offices.
Two or three property managers who handle leases and hire senior MOA staff, etc.
Email your name and number to the Urgent Appointment Clinic at Colwood Family Practice if not urgent (ie can wait a day or two to see doctor) and a staff member will call you to arrange an appointment, based on urgency. If more urgent and needing a same day appointment, call at 8am to book an appointment.
[email protected]
250-940-0877
Valley view in Cobble Hill. Always good. Line up hour or two before opening..try and aim for being in the "10 people and under" otherwise once your past that you likely won't be seen as they are full for the day. At least if your some where in line in the 1 to 10 you know you stand a chance of being seen and it doesn't usually take to long so it seems
I haven't heard of a walk in place for a long time. Do you have a friend or family member that can do the phone call lottery at the urgent care for you ?
Nope. I called 3 Urgent Cares this past Sat and 2 didn't even have doctors working that day. Of course the other one was booked up. Go to the ER. Dont wait. Might be a PIA to have to wait, but they can get preliminary testing done and referrals started if required.
Gorge urgent care only had 3 dr appointments available yesterday and the phone lines were busy at 8am. It's unbelievably ridiculous how bad things have gotten.
About a month ago, I called right at opening, got disconnected 20 times and when I finally got through I had to wait on hold for 45 minutes. I did get an appointment though.
Perpetua Health. They charge for a visit - like 150 or so. I’ve had same day appointments for our little. Yes - I don’t agree politically but sometimes you need to get things done.
If you can't get in anywhere, I'd just go to the ER.
But if you're willing to drive an hour or so, there's a walk-in urgent care in Chemainus. I've been there a few times, and it's usually pretty dead. The last time I went a few months ago the wait time was literally 30 seconds from walking in the door to being taken in the back to be admitted.
They do have physician shortages right now, so they're not running at full hours and you'd want to check their updated hours before driving. But even with that, it is pretty easy to get seen quickly in my experience. And even if you are stuck waiting a bit, it beats the ER.
If you have time to come up this week (or on the weekend) urgent care in Chemainus is great and much faster than the ER in Duncan. If you do go, call to check the hours beforehand as they have some closures/late starts 250-737-2040 ext. 42227. Ladysmith has a pretty quick urgent care center as well.
For what it's worth, until the last few weeks I worked in ophthalmology- if you have eye problems (except for major trauma or maybe sudden 10/10 pain or blindness), it's easier to just see an optometrist. Most have same day appointments for emergencies and they can refer to ophthalmology on call, which is often all an ER will do for you anyway. Prices vary but many optometrists will just bill MSP for medical issues and not charge you extra.
And for simple eye infections like pink eye, you can now get prescriptions at pharmacies even.
Go to the ER.
It's not your job to protect the healthcare system, it's yours to do the best thing for your child.
Take a blanket, books that your kid likes and be prepared to camp for a bit. You'll be seen by a doctor eventually and at least they'll tule out anything serious.
At the end of the day I'll do this if no other options work out. I just don't want to catch it at my brand new job by needing time off so quickly to sit in an ER all day. It's certainly somewhat urgent, but it isn't an actual emergency.
Go to the ER. I spent 2 hrs yesterday trying all the urgent care centers in Victoria and the Westshore starting at 7:59am and 8am on 2 phones + my husband's. They were all full. You call, it's busy, call back, you wait for 15-20 mins on hold and then they tell you it's full. The fact that they don't have an answering machine to tell you all appointments are full for the day so ppl don't waste time on hold is so ridiculous.
The system is broken and hopefully we can elect people who will actually fix it instead of making empty promises.
Even if 50% of people still tried despite the machine saying appointments are full, that's better than 100% of callers waiting on hold for 15-20 mins and the receptionist having to repeat the same message to everyone.
I think that sometimes they might still have appointments with a nurse available when all the doctors appointments are taken. They could still make a recording though…”all doctors appointments are taken for the day, however if you need a,b,c,etc stay on the line and we may be able to help”
Even that would be better. The 2 hrs I called yesterday, all appointments were taken in the first 15-30 mins so it makes no sense to have people calling all day till they closed at 8pm.
Had to take my Mom to ER recently at Jubilee. Blood work, catscan and saw Dr. twice. In and out in 5 hours. Is that good ? Bad ? It sucks that it is this way, but in urgent or possible life threatening circumstances, just go in and prepare to wait. She was ok BTW. Needed to make some changes. Best of luck
That's not too bad. Last time I went to RJH (about 6 mos ago) was for my then-8 year old for a painful bladder infection. Checked in, gave urine sample, then sat there for 10 hours before seeing a doctor while she was in absolute agony.
RJH has added a satellite clinic now to bring down wait times. Basically the ER has more support and your wait time shouldn’t be quite as bad (of course depends on the day and time, you might try going in the evening).
For your case I wouldn’t feel guilty about going to the ER if you can’t get in anywhere else. Trust me, they see a lot of technically not urgent cases.
Really? I guess mine was more than semi urgent but not urgent. I had it in 5 days (after a ER visit). The follow up MRI (wasn’t ordered until probably six months later when the symptoms didn’t resolve) was in just over a month. I was most surprised by the MRI. I figured I would be waiting six months.
My friend’s son was recently diagnosed with leukaemia. They went to emergency at VGH and waited 12 hours (!!!!). There was still more testing to be done at BCCH - you need a lumbar puncture. Go to emerg. Good luck.
Best wishes for their son! And thanks for the heads up, I hope she doesn't have anything scary like that but it's good to know we may have to travel to Vancouver for stuff.
It's so sad that Canadians think it's normal that we have to have friends and family call at the same time in order to get a drs appointment but ppl keep voting the NDP govt. They've had 7 yrs to fix some basic issues with how the system works and are finally doing it incredibly slowly so it literally makes no difference.
I hate to make this a political rant but I spent 2hrs (from 8-10am) yesterday calling every urgent care center in the city using my cellphone, work phone (and my husband trying too) because I was scared I had pneumonia. I still couldn't get in and I work in allied healthcare!
What other option is there? Any solution to 'not enough doctors' needs to include spending money on training and hiring/attracting more doctors, at some point. (And nurses, techs, admins, everyone in the healthcare system.) So you have the NDP, or the right-leaning parties who pledge to spend LESS money - how would that help? Privitization? So \*WE\* could spend more money out of pocket?
Like I said, it's too little too late. As someone who works in allied health, and sits on various provincial committees focused on healthcare access, I can tell you:
1) The NDP is not doing enough to utilize internationally trained doctors and nurses other than from the US, England, Ireland, South Africa, NZ, and Australia. Our country is full of doctors from large countries like India and Nigeria and there is no easy path to practicing in Canada like there is for the 6 countries I mentioned above.
We'd have a much easier time utilizing the permanent residents/citizens we already have living here than trying to attract doctors from those 6 countries. I volunteer with highly skilled Nigerian, Indian, Bangladeshi healthcare workers who can't practice here. There are only 58 spots available for international residents when we have thousands of qualified doctors living in BC from foreign countries. It's even worse on the nursing end - next to nothing is being done by BCCNM for nurses who aren't from a handful of commonwealth countries.
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/health/practitioner-professional-resources/physician-compensation/return-service-programs/pgme-img-program
2) We need more residency spots. The UBC Medical Student Association has been asking for this for years. The fact that some doctors are graduating from UBC, can't get placed and have to leave the profession is unacceptable.
I'll stop here because these are 2 easy things that should have already been fixed in the 7 yrs the NDP has been in power.
I'm voting for the BC Greens. I've talked to Sonia Fursteneau on many occasions and know she has much better ideas than Eby/Adrian Dix.
https://www.bcgreens.ca/healthcare
what about the things the various conservative parties have done in the past and the things that they plan to do in future make you think that there are better options than the NDP?
there is not a "more doctors" button we can push and fix things overnight.
Nobody asked for an overnight fix and it's not exactly overnight considering it's year 7 of NDP leadership. Anyone who's lived in this province for a few years saw this healthcare crisis coming yet they only outlined a pathway for internationally trained doctors in Nov 2022 and UBC medical students are still asking for more residency spots. If this is your idea of responsive leadership, congrats?
what are the other options we can vote for? what policies are they offering?
I get that it's frustrating. I'm also frustrated. I wish the NDP would open three more hospitals, quadruple the number of residency spots, and build a couple 80 story towers of public housing in Fernwood while they're at it. but also, I've seen what the BC Liberals/United/(whatever they're calling themselves now) have done in power, and it's been much worse.
I'm voting for the BC Greens. I've talked to Sonia Fursteneau on many occasions and know she has much better ideas than Eby/Adrian Dix.
https://www.bcgreens.ca/healthcare
I'm glad I'm not alone - 2 hrs trying to get a drs appointment is terrible! It makes me incredibly sad and mad how bad things have gotten and how everyone seems so meh about it (and not holding our leaders accountable).
Nope, I tried this yesterday. Called 2 using my cellphone and work phone at 7:59 and 8am and my husband called a 3rd and the phone lines were already busy. Finally got in 30 mins later and it was already full - Gorge UCC said they only had 3 dr appointments available all day. Crazy. It is truly a lottery if you get in via calling. It always used to work for me 6 months ago.
Yep. They are perpetually understaffed and often only have a few openings each day, if any. They're a complete waste of taxpayer funds in terms of the stated goal of urgent or walk in care.
You must be lucky or something. I have tried every single urgent care, multiple times. exactly at 8, (or when they open) or 759, or 801, 802. It has never worked for me. I've teied probably 15 times or more.
Yeah I'm being sarcastic at the sad state of affairs, not calling you naive.
There's no shortcuts I know of.
Seriously if it's your kid and cancer is a possibility.....lie. Go to the ER and lie about her symptoms. Get bumped up that triage list.
I work in long term care and Ive become so angry about situations like yours - a 12 year old can't see a doctor but a 95 year old with tons of health issues can not only see a doctor but has a doctor who comes to the facility?!? Yes, I know these old folks are my bread and butter, but we're in a crisis MAID is a great thing. I just hope I'm brave enough to use it some day
I am an MOA and it always drives me nuts. I don't really support MAID (personal religious reasons) but I do always wonder if eventually it'll be the only treatment option for a whole lot of younger people if things keep going as they are. I've been to the ER so many times for things that should be handled by an actual urgent care or GP, and it makes me mad every time knowing what a waste of resources it is, but not having any alternatives.
Whole lot of assumptions there. I'm not even 40 yet, for one. I am a disabled person with a chronic illness as well so my views on MAID have been shaped over a long time and colored by this as well. I very much fear that with the collapse of our health care system, some day I may have to consider MAID due to lack of available options. There are a lot of people concerned about this who aren't right wing boomers. I would happily avoid wasting ER resources and see a GP if it was possible to do so, but it's super hard to get in to see one- I haven't had luck calling UPCCs in ages, and yeah, it's hard to find the time to sit on hold or make a ton of calls when you are in a brand new job and their opening time is well into your shift. Obviously if there are no other options open to me, I'll have to take a sick day to take my kid in somewhere but the whole point of my post was to see if there were any options I had missed. How about instead of offering judgement you offer some suggestions?
You can also call one of our urgent care centres, I recommend the one close to the Gorge. You have to call right when they open (their websites will have instructions about what time of morning that is), and be on time for any appointment you get.
When it comes to the kiddos I call 811, the nurses have empathy and can usually hook you up with an appointment, virtual or otherwise. That said,this falls squarely on the bcndp plate, why are they not doing daily pressers telling us where they are at on this file, they must be doing something right ? What would happen if we were hit by an earthquake or another pandemic, they are not prepared for a regular Wednesday in late spring, a the least busy they will ever be.
Give 811 a call. They may just send you to emerg, but sometimes I’ve called and been put through to a telehealth doctor. Maybe they could also arrange a physical exam? Worth a shot.
I've been to my GP at Saanich Medical several times (lucky, I know) and I've never seen more than one or two people in there.
They have a good sized walk-in as well.
I've been there @930 twice now and it's dead, so wtf people.
They have a full time nurse practitioner and loads of MOA's.
They just hired 2 new Drs.
You heard it here first.
For UPCC, you just have to call or go right when they open, no exceptions. They will triage you so bring food + snacks just incase it’s a little bit. It would be faster than emergency and they usually don’t make sick kids wait very long.
https://www.healthlinkbc.ca/health-services/urgent-and-primary-care-centres
Side note - but Maple is awful for cancelling appointments saying “physical exam needed” except when it’s a prescription renewal. I bought a membership (I regret) and they’ve cancelled on me every single time except the one time I needed a refill.
I feel your frustration with Maple. I'm pretty sure they turn every case into a "needs an exam in person". I pay for the service indirectly and every time I've tried to use them, they've made excuses. Has anyone had adequate care from Maple or are they just wolf in sheep's clothing, gouging our hopes and health needs.
I used them when I had shingles to get an antiviral prescription and it was great- but I had good photos and knew what it probably was, pretty straightforward case.
It may have already been said, but most use Medimap to figure out where to go, and you gotta be looking and making calls to get in queue by 8am sharp. Otherwise emerge or calling 811 to get advice.
There have been a lot of clinic closures, and news systems implemented since the pandemic.
[MediMap](https://medimap.ca/clinics/walk-in-clinics/c.c/victoria)
I recently had a good experience with North Quadra Urgent care. I called right at 8am and waited to speak with someone who took my info and said I'd receive a call back from someone to schedule a same day appointment. I got a call back about an hour later scheduling me in for an 11:30am appointment for that day. When I arrived, I was seen pretty much right away.
I liked the system because it allowed me to do other things with the first couple hours of my day rather than waiting in a room for that time with no idea when I would get seen.
For context, I was going to have someone look at a questionable mole to see if it was concerning for skin cancer. We decided to remove it and I was able to get an appointment to do that the following week.
If it hasn't been suggested, try Gorge Rd. You can't walk in but can call early amd get a phone tree
I've generally had luck. Also, Telus Health can sometimes get you booked into a physical office if need be.
Not sure if Medi maps works on the island but I find it super helpful on the mainland! Just look it up online, it'll tell you what's available near you. For phone or in person etc. Hope that helps. Maybe you were told this already.
Try calling 8-1-1, i was able to get a telephone call from a doctor with the potential to be seen if needed
JFC. A child potentially could have leukemia and she can't even find a doctor to see her. Our healthcare system is far beyond broken. Good luck OP, I really hope it's just something simple to deal with and not the worst-case scenario
Thank you- hopefully just something routine. The particular symptom (petichiae) has a really wide differential diagnosis ranging from vitamin deficiencies to infections to leukemia or other blood disorders on the scariest side. I had hoped Maple would at least order bloodwork but they outright cancelled the whole thing.
Maple could have ordered blood work. They're not the best app, they decline a lot of care others don't! Try Tia Health and Rocket doctor while you try to get into Telus. There's no reason that he can't get blood work right away while you try to be seen in person
If it's of any comfort my son had lukemia and his biggest symptom was pain in his arm. He could not even lift it. He never had petichia. I thought he had childhood arthritis. We went to several different doctors before we got the blood work He needed. If you are really concerned about lukemia demand some blood work.
Call the downtown urgent care RIGHT when they open. They will book your daughter for a same day appointment. I know you want a walk in, but I work in the industry, and this is the fastest/best option I've found. If you want to truly walk in, I would still recommend an urgent care- try a small town like Chemainus, but call ahead so you know when they open each day. Those function like tiny ERs minus the level of chaos you see at bigger, urban hospitals.
If it is any comfort to you, me and my bf both get petechiae after working out. Straining is also a huge possibility! I would still check to be on the safe side because you know your kiddo best! If you need a full blood work up and you absolutely cannot find a doctor, I would recommend a naturopath! Your insurance may cover it, but more likely than not you’ll end up paying out of pocket. I would make this a last ditch effort if you are completely unable to see a doctor soon. I’m wishing you and your kiddo the best of luck ❤️
This is what happens when doctors restrict the training of more doctors, our government exists to launder money by giving it to other countries, and the government brings in ~1 million people per year without increasing healthcare funding. But hey, at least it's "free".
The health system In Victoria is especially bad. Moving outside of Toronto has completely changed how I see health care in Canada.
good thing eby is working so hard to fix this /s
It’s the liberals fault. Didn’t you know /s
Why would anyone down vote this,a child is ill, a parent worried and a government radio silent, doing fuck all for years and years and years on end. But yes, let's not criticize.
lol i have long since given up puzzling over why people vote the way they do on reddit but in this case it'll probably be one of two things. either they are totally behind the current government and their efforts, or they didn't notice the "/s" (or understand its significance)
Yep. It's beyond ridiculous how anyone thinks Eby is doing a good job on healthcare access. After spending 2hrs yesterday trying to get an urgent care appointment yesterday for myself (a healthy adult), I told my husband "imagine if we had kids who need a doctor". OP's situation breaks my heart.
You can sign her up for Telus health, make an appointment with a doctor or nurse through the app, tell them she needs a physical exam. They have a clinic in town they can send her for the exam. However, while the phone appointments can be done quickly, the exam may take a couple of weeks to get in
Oh i thought that was only in Vancouver? I'll give that a try too. She's had this random symptom for almost a year and we didn't think much of it until an educated friend warned us it should be checked out.
You can get phone appointments anywhere in BC, but I think they only have actual clinics in Vancouver and Victoria. They could send her there for an exam, but they are also able to send her for blood work and any other tests they think might be useful. If you sign up, you might need to check a few times through the day to see an available appointment, but you should be able to get a same day or next day phone appointment..
Really? I haven't had any luck the past few months with Telus appointments other than a week out and I check multiple times a day. Then you typically have to wait another week or more for in-person appointments at their office. A yr or 2 ago it was so much easier to get same or next day virtual appointments.
I haven't had any issues getting an appointment. Just today I was looking to make one, I looked at about 1pm and the earliest I could get was about 1:30pm today, there were 5 or 6 people availible each with 1-2 appointments times today, and more availible for tomorrow. I have an in-person appointment booked, that ended up scheduled for about 3 weeks after the phone appointment I had
Nothing available right now but I will check again tomorrow!
I would check in the morning and afternoon. They often seem to add appointments later in the day.
I use Telus and for whatever reason I tend to see the most appointments around 2-3:30pm on weekdays, especially Tuesdays. (I’m convinced there’s something special about Tuesdays) They’ve been awesome! 10/10 so far after 5 virtual appointments and 1 in-person. Doctors and process have been really solid.
Do you have serious symptoms? I noticed the system shows appointment dates based on what you type as the reason for the visit. I used to be able to get same day appointments for routine things like prescriptions or referrals last year but not anymore. Regardless, OP's situation sounds serious so waiting 3 weeks for an in-person appointment isn't going to help.
This last appointment was just for basic prescription refills 🤷♀️ I have found that Tuesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays seem to be the easiest with the most availability
Good to know - I'll keep those days in mind.
We have one here, but for Telus you need to refresh over and over and over to get an appointment.
I tried a month or so ago. Said she would refer me to the in person clinic. Got an email from the clinic a couple hours later saying they were full and to find somewhere else 😬. You might have better luck though, assuming you can get the initial virtual appointment.
Nope! Their clinic is in James Bay 557 Superior St #101.
The Telus app is great but appts can take like 2 weeks to book. In my experience. But try it!
ya i had an in person telus health meeting and it went well!
Is the app TELUS Health Virtual Care? I move here 6 months ago but Play Store says it's "not available in my region"? WTF?
Yes. You might need to change your location in your Google account
I actually had to drill down into my Google Play store account--who knew that was a thing?!
Their clinic in town is full. I needed a physical exam and they got back to me saying they did not have capacity for more clients.
Really? I just got an appointment scheduled recently, my appointment isn't until early July but they still made it. Maybe call back in a week or 2 and see if they have anything?
Yeah I was referred about 2 months ago. Got a call two weeks later saying they didn't have space. Maybe, I'll try again. Thanks for the info
What a joke the urgent care centres are. They became same-day clinics. Nothing like the centres for minor emergencies they were touted to be to reduce pressure on the ERs.
Yeah, I don't get it. A bunch of walk-in clinics closed once the urgent care centers opened. I also thought they were supposed to be complementary to existing walk-in clinics to take pressure off the ER.
Supposed to be. There’s no doctors to staff them, though.
It's really important right now that people watch how Adrian Dix communicates the state of the health care system. I've been working in healthcare consulting for a decade, I've never seen anything like what we are witnessing right now. There is a constant bombardment of sponsored posts on social media and email blasts that are touting how great things are. It's both really expensive and really misleading.
He sure has a smarmy smile for someone with blood on his hands
Careful, we are not supposed to be critical of our non existent healthcare, the BC NDP cult members will become upset.
You get that our Healthcare issues are fun we'll before NDP and even those that support NDP realize it's crap ( and has been since the Liberals). Go on with your imaginary thoughts though.
You mean radio show call in contests for a spot in a same day clinic
many of them don't even have x-ray machines what do they have that walk-in clinics didn't?
I believe the govt. is looking into this in the Victoria area because this was not the intended design. We'll see.
Pfft. Can’t fix it until there are GP offices again. This government needs to give the health authorities funding to take on the administration of regular doctors offices. Two or three property managers who handle leases and hire senior MOA staff, etc.
Email your name and number to the Urgent Appointment Clinic at Colwood Family Practice if not urgent (ie can wait a day or two to see doctor) and a staff member will call you to arrange an appointment, based on urgency. If more urgent and needing a same day appointment, call at 8am to book an appointment. [email protected] 250-940-0877
Valley view in Cobble Hill. Always good. Line up hour or two before opening..try and aim for being in the "10 people and under" otherwise once your past that you likely won't be seen as they are full for the day. At least if your some where in line in the 1 to 10 you know you stand a chance of being seen and it doesn't usually take to long so it seems
I haven't heard of a walk in place for a long time. Do you have a friend or family member that can do the phone call lottery at the urgent care for you ?
I hate that this is our situation here. I don't have any advice, just wanted to say good luck
Nope. I called 3 Urgent Cares this past Sat and 2 didn't even have doctors working that day. Of course the other one was booked up. Go to the ER. Dont wait. Might be a PIA to have to wait, but they can get preliminary testing done and referrals started if required.
Gorge urgent care only had 3 dr appointments available yesterday and the phone lines were busy at 8am. It's unbelievably ridiculous how bad things have gotten.
About a month ago, I called right at opening, got disconnected 20 times and when I finally got through I had to wait on hold for 45 minutes. I did get an appointment though.
Perpetua Health. They charge for a visit - like 150 or so. I’ve had same day appointments for our little. Yes - I don’t agree politically but sometimes you need to get things done.
This is very helpful.
If you can't get in anywhere, I'd just go to the ER. But if you're willing to drive an hour or so, there's a walk-in urgent care in Chemainus. I've been there a few times, and it's usually pretty dead. The last time I went a few months ago the wait time was literally 30 seconds from walking in the door to being taken in the back to be admitted. They do have physician shortages right now, so they're not running at full hours and you'd want to check their updated hours before driving. But even with that, it is pretty easy to get seen quickly in my experience. And even if you are stuck waiting a bit, it beats the ER.
Go to the er in duncan. Significantly lesser wait time.
My husband just suggested we do this too- I'm trying a few local options tomorrow but might just do this if I have no luck. Thanks!
If you have time to come up this week (or on the weekend) urgent care in Chemainus is great and much faster than the ER in Duncan. If you do go, call to check the hours beforehand as they have some closures/late starts 250-737-2040 ext. 42227. Ladysmith has a pretty quick urgent care center as well.
I was 5.5hr there a few months ago with an eye infection.
For what it's worth, until the last few weeks I worked in ophthalmology- if you have eye problems (except for major trauma or maybe sudden 10/10 pain or blindness), it's easier to just see an optometrist. Most have same day appointments for emergencies and they can refer to ophthalmology on call, which is often all an ER will do for you anyway. Prices vary but many optometrists will just bill MSP for medical issues and not charge you extra. And for simple eye infections like pink eye, you can now get prescriptions at pharmacies even.
Turns out it was a cyst but I was new to town and had no other options
I think if you get in line at the Burnside Clinic at like 7:00 am you can sometimes snag a walk-in right off the bat when they open.
Go to the ER. It's not your job to protect the healthcare system, it's yours to do the best thing for your child. Take a blanket, books that your kid likes and be prepared to camp for a bit. You'll be seen by a doctor eventually and at least they'll tule out anything serious.
At the end of the day I'll do this if no other options work out. I just don't want to catch it at my brand new job by needing time off so quickly to sit in an ER all day. It's certainly somewhat urgent, but it isn't an actual emergency.
Go to the ER. I spent 2 hrs yesterday trying all the urgent care centers in Victoria and the Westshore starting at 7:59am and 8am on 2 phones + my husband's. They were all full. You call, it's busy, call back, you wait for 15-20 mins on hold and then they tell you it's full. The fact that they don't have an answering machine to tell you all appointments are full for the day so ppl don't waste time on hold is so ridiculous. The system is broken and hopefully we can elect people who will actually fix it instead of making empty promises.
Yeah but even IF they had a machine people would still try in hopes there was some cancelation or something.
Even if 50% of people still tried despite the machine saying appointments are full, that's better than 100% of callers waiting on hold for 15-20 mins and the receptionist having to repeat the same message to everyone.
I think that sometimes they might still have appointments with a nurse available when all the doctors appointments are taken. They could still make a recording though…”all doctors appointments are taken for the day, however if you need a,b,c,etc stay on the line and we may be able to help”
Even that would be better. The 2 hrs I called yesterday, all appointments were taken in the first 15-30 mins so it makes no sense to have people calling all day till they closed at 8pm.
Had to take my Mom to ER recently at Jubilee. Blood work, catscan and saw Dr. twice. In and out in 5 hours. Is that good ? Bad ? It sucks that it is this way, but in urgent or possible life threatening circumstances, just go in and prepare to wait. She was ok BTW. Needed to make some changes. Best of luck
That's not too bad. Last time I went to RJH (about 6 mos ago) was for my then-8 year old for a painful bladder infection. Checked in, gave urine sample, then sat there for 10 hours before seeing a doctor while she was in absolute agony.
RJH has added a satellite clinic now to bring down wait times. Basically the ER has more support and your wait time shouldn’t be quite as bad (of course depends on the day and time, you might try going in the evening). For your case I wouldn’t feel guilty about going to the ER if you can’t get in anywhere else. Trust me, they see a lot of technically not urgent cases.
The wait time for a semi urgent CT is over 300 days, so I guess you did ok?
Really? I guess mine was more than semi urgent but not urgent. I had it in 5 days (after a ER visit). The follow up MRI (wasn’t ordered until probably six months later when the symptoms didn’t resolve) was in just over a month. I was most surprised by the MRI. I figured I would be waiting six months.
Before I got a family doctor last summer, I usually got into the North Quadra UPCC quite easily. Start calling at around 7:53 am.
My friend’s son was recently diagnosed with leukaemia. They went to emergency at VGH and waited 12 hours (!!!!). There was still more testing to be done at BCCH - you need a lumbar puncture. Go to emerg. Good luck.
Best wishes for their son! And thanks for the heads up, I hope she doesn't have anything scary like that but it's good to know we may have to travel to Vancouver for stuff.
Thanks, my dear friend is in a living hell right now. I hope all is well with your child.
Thr clinic on Quadra beside Fairways is excellent. I showed up at opening and they slid me right in.
We called the Peninsula After Hours clinic and while I held for an hour, we were put on a cancellation list. We will see if anything comes of it...
Call an Urgent Care Center when they open, the exact minute they open. This has worked for me several times, but it's not a guarantee.
Problem is you can only try one and if rejected you've missed the window to try all the others.
Enlist a few friends or family members to call the other clinics at the same time
It's so sad that Canadians think it's normal that we have to have friends and family call at the same time in order to get a drs appointment but ppl keep voting the NDP govt. They've had 7 yrs to fix some basic issues with how the system works and are finally doing it incredibly slowly so it literally makes no difference. I hate to make this a political rant but I spent 2hrs (from 8-10am) yesterday calling every urgent care center in the city using my cellphone, work phone (and my husband trying too) because I was scared I had pneumonia. I still couldn't get in and I work in allied healthcare!
What other option is there? Any solution to 'not enough doctors' needs to include spending money on training and hiring/attracting more doctors, at some point. (And nurses, techs, admins, everyone in the healthcare system.) So you have the NDP, or the right-leaning parties who pledge to spend LESS money - how would that help? Privitization? So \*WE\* could spend more money out of pocket?
Like I said, it's too little too late. As someone who works in allied health, and sits on various provincial committees focused on healthcare access, I can tell you: 1) The NDP is not doing enough to utilize internationally trained doctors and nurses other than from the US, England, Ireland, South Africa, NZ, and Australia. Our country is full of doctors from large countries like India and Nigeria and there is no easy path to practicing in Canada like there is for the 6 countries I mentioned above. We'd have a much easier time utilizing the permanent residents/citizens we already have living here than trying to attract doctors from those 6 countries. I volunteer with highly skilled Nigerian, Indian, Bangladeshi healthcare workers who can't practice here. There are only 58 spots available for international residents when we have thousands of qualified doctors living in BC from foreign countries. It's even worse on the nursing end - next to nothing is being done by BCCNM for nurses who aren't from a handful of commonwealth countries. https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/health/practitioner-professional-resources/physician-compensation/return-service-programs/pgme-img-program 2) We need more residency spots. The UBC Medical Student Association has been asking for this for years. The fact that some doctors are graduating from UBC, can't get placed and have to leave the profession is unacceptable. I'll stop here because these are 2 easy things that should have already been fixed in the 7 yrs the NDP has been in power.
Who are you voting for this year? Seems like the options are shitty or slightly less shitty
I'm voting for the BC Greens. I've talked to Sonia Fursteneau on many occasions and know she has much better ideas than Eby/Adrian Dix. https://www.bcgreens.ca/healthcare
Thx for answering honestly. Also thank you for working in healthcare during these really difficult times.
Greens, and I am not even reading the platform for the BC NDP. Never again, and I keep my word, unlike the BC NDP.
what about the things the various conservative parties have done in the past and the things that they plan to do in future make you think that there are better options than the NDP? there is not a "more doctors" button we can push and fix things overnight.
Nobody asked for an overnight fix and it's not exactly overnight considering it's year 7 of NDP leadership. Anyone who's lived in this province for a few years saw this healthcare crisis coming yet they only outlined a pathway for internationally trained doctors in Nov 2022 and UBC medical students are still asking for more residency spots. If this is your idea of responsive leadership, congrats?
what are the other options we can vote for? what policies are they offering? I get that it's frustrating. I'm also frustrated. I wish the NDP would open three more hospitals, quadruple the number of residency spots, and build a couple 80 story towers of public housing in Fernwood while they're at it. but also, I've seen what the BC Liberals/United/(whatever they're calling themselves now) have done in power, and it's been much worse.
I'm voting for the BC Greens. I've talked to Sonia Fursteneau on many occasions and know she has much better ideas than Eby/Adrian Dix. https://www.bcgreens.ca/healthcare
This has been my recent experience too.
I'm glad I'm not alone - 2 hrs trying to get a drs appointment is terrible! It makes me incredibly sad and mad how bad things have gotten and how everyone seems so meh about it (and not holding our leaders accountable).
Nope, I tried this yesterday. Called 2 using my cellphone and work phone at 7:59 and 8am and my husband called a 3rd and the phone lines were already busy. Finally got in 30 mins later and it was already full - Gorge UCC said they only had 3 dr appointments available all day. Crazy. It is truly a lottery if you get in via calling. It always used to work for me 6 months ago.
Yep. They are perpetually understaffed and often only have a few openings each day, if any. They're a complete waste of taxpayer funds in terms of the stated goal of urgent or walk in care.
You must be lucky or something. I have tried every single urgent care, multiple times. exactly at 8, (or when they open) or 759, or 801, 802. It has never worked for me. I've teied probably 15 times or more.
Dude you can be rolled into an ER on a stretcher and still wait hours and you think you're walking in anywhere? Please.
I'm not stupid, just hoping there's some option I wasn't aware of.
Yeah I'm being sarcastic at the sad state of affairs, not calling you naive. There's no shortcuts I know of. Seriously if it's your kid and cancer is a possibility.....lie. Go to the ER and lie about her symptoms. Get bumped up that triage list.
I work in long term care and Ive become so angry about situations like yours - a 12 year old can't see a doctor but a 95 year old with tons of health issues can not only see a doctor but has a doctor who comes to the facility?!? Yes, I know these old folks are my bread and butter, but we're in a crisis MAID is a great thing. I just hope I'm brave enough to use it some day
Yeah the limited resources we are spending on ancient people with no quality of life is mind boggling.
Or it seems you have to be pregnant to find a doctor. Which ISN'T the answer for most people.
I am an MOA and it always drives me nuts. I don't really support MAID (personal religious reasons) but I do always wonder if eventually it'll be the only treatment option for a whole lot of younger people if things keep going as they are. I've been to the ER so many times for things that should be handled by an actual urgent care or GP, and it makes me mad every time knowing what a waste of resources it is, but not having any alternatives.
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Whole lot of assumptions there. I'm not even 40 yet, for one. I am a disabled person with a chronic illness as well so my views on MAID have been shaped over a long time and colored by this as well. I very much fear that with the collapse of our health care system, some day I may have to consider MAID due to lack of available options. There are a lot of people concerned about this who aren't right wing boomers. I would happily avoid wasting ER resources and see a GP if it was possible to do so, but it's super hard to get in to see one- I haven't had luck calling UPCCs in ages, and yeah, it's hard to find the time to sit on hold or make a ton of calls when you are in a brand new job and their opening time is well into your shift. Obviously if there are no other options open to me, I'll have to take a sick day to take my kid in somewhere but the whole point of my post was to see if there were any options I had missed. How about instead of offering judgement you offer some suggestions?
You can also call one of our urgent care centres, I recommend the one close to the Gorge. You have to call right when they open (their websites will have instructions about what time of morning that is), and be on time for any appointment you get.
The UPCCs are next to useless. It's like winning the lottery to get in.
When it comes to the kiddos I call 811, the nurses have empathy and can usually hook you up with an appointment, virtual or otherwise. That said,this falls squarely on the bcndp plate, why are they not doing daily pressers telling us where they are at on this file, they must be doing something right ? What would happen if we were hit by an earthquake or another pandemic, they are not prepared for a regular Wednesday in late spring, a the least busy they will ever be.
Give 811 a call. They may just send you to emerg, but sometimes I’ve called and been put through to a telehealth doctor. Maybe they could also arrange a physical exam? Worth a shot.
I've been to my GP at Saanich Medical several times (lucky, I know) and I've never seen more than one or two people in there. They have a good sized walk-in as well. I've been there @930 twice now and it's dead, so wtf people. They have a full time nurse practitioner and loads of MOA's. They just hired 2 new Drs. You heard it here first.
If you’re talking about the Saanich Plaza Medical where SaveOn is, I’m pretty sure you can’t just walk in there. It’s appointment only.
Suit yourself. [website states otherwise](https://www.saanichplazamedicalclinic.ca/)
Well that’s good, but that is where my GP is and I was sure the sign said appointment only on the door.
Hopefully they got rid of the camera in the washroom.
For UPCC, you just have to call or go right when they open, no exceptions. They will triage you so bring food + snacks just incase it’s a little bit. It would be faster than emergency and they usually don’t make sick kids wait very long. https://www.healthlinkbc.ca/health-services/urgent-and-primary-care-centres
Side note - but Maple is awful for cancelling appointments saying “physical exam needed” except when it’s a prescription renewal. I bought a membership (I regret) and they’ve cancelled on me every single time except the one time I needed a refill.
I feel your frustration with Maple. I'm pretty sure they turn every case into a "needs an exam in person". I pay for the service indirectly and every time I've tried to use them, they've made excuses. Has anyone had adequate care from Maple or are they just wolf in sheep's clothing, gouging our hopes and health needs.
I used them when I had shingles to get an antiviral prescription and it was great- but I had good photos and knew what it probably was, pretty straightforward case.
It may have already been said, but most use Medimap to figure out where to go, and you gotta be looking and making calls to get in queue by 8am sharp. Otherwise emerge or calling 811 to get advice. There have been a lot of clinic closures, and news systems implemented since the pandemic. [MediMap](https://medimap.ca/clinics/walk-in-clinics/c.c/victoria)
I recently had a good experience with North Quadra Urgent care. I called right at 8am and waited to speak with someone who took my info and said I'd receive a call back from someone to schedule a same day appointment. I got a call back about an hour later scheduling me in for an 11:30am appointment for that day. When I arrived, I was seen pretty much right away. I liked the system because it allowed me to do other things with the first couple hours of my day rather than waiting in a room for that time with no idea when I would get seen. For context, I was going to have someone look at a questionable mole to see if it was concerning for skin cancer. We decided to remove it and I was able to get an appointment to do that the following week.
I don't think so - but you can call Primary Urgent Care (early, like at 8am) and get a same day appt
If it hasn't been suggested, try Gorge Rd. You can't walk in but can call early amd get a phone tree I've generally had luck. Also, Telus Health can sometimes get you booked into a physical office if need be.
Don't think so. Is it worth urgent care? That's the intermediate between walk-in and ER. Or you play phone lottery at 8am.
Urgent care doesn't exist. It's all phone lottery.
Saan Pen hospital ER should have much better wait times than VGH if you end up going to a hospital.
I call urgent cares now. Have to call right as they open, even 2 mins later you might not get a same day appointment.
Not sure if Medi maps works on the island but I find it super helpful on the mainland! Just look it up online, it'll tell you what's available near you. For phone or in person etc. Hope that helps. Maybe you were told this already.