Sudbury patient sick of virtual appointments
For Sudbury's Karen Haslam, going to the doctor is often a last resort.
“I try home remedies -- anything else first -- before going to a doctor," Haslam said.
"But having said that, through the COVID it's even been a little more difficult because I’ve always had to wait to get an appointment, but now even just for a phone call appointment it takes three weeks."
Her family doctor, like many in the province, is only seeing patients virtually. For some, that means over Zoom or Skype, for others like Haslam, it's simply a phone call.
“It’s really hard to describe to a doctor where you’re hurting and what’s going on when you’re talking over the telephone," Haslam said. "How do you point to the direction that needs attention?”
Ontario’s top health officials are siding with patients like Haslam. On Wednesday, a letter was sent to physicians across the province encouraging the resumption of in-person visits.
"While virtual care has enabled access to care during the pandemic, given broad vaccination coverage and fully accessible PPE, COVID-19 should no longer pose a barrier to in-person practice,” the letter said.
Ontario's chief medical officer of health, the Ministry of Health and the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario all say in-person care can be provided safely again.
Nickel Belt MPP France Gelinas said the letter has been in the works for a while. Gelinas said she knew it was only a matter of time because she continues to receive complaints from constituents unhappy with the care currently being provided in the province.
“We need to find a new balance between virtual care and in-person (care), because right now we are not meeting Ontarians' expectations in many fields," she said.
"I gave the example of cancer, but same thing -- a mom should not have to bring her child to the emergency room at Health Sciences North because of an earache."
Gelinas said it's one thing to tell physicians what to do and another to work with them. She’s calling on the Ford government to listen to doctors so they can work together to improve care for patients in Ontario.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
BREAKING McGill University seeks emergency injunction to remove pro-Palestinian encampment from campus
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
U.S. says Israel's use of U.S. arms likely violated international law, but evidence is incomplete
The Biden administration said Friday that Israel's use of U.S.-provided weapons in Gaza likely violated international humanitarian law but wartime conditions prevented U.S. officials from determining that for certain in specific airstrikes.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
Rare severe solar storm Friday could bring spectacular aurora light show across Canada
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
More than half the Canadians once detained in Syrian camps for suspected ISIS family members have returned home
A total of 29 Canadians have been freed from detention camps in northeast Syria and brought back to Canada since human rights advocates began lobbying for their release years ago.
Canada abstains from Palestinian UN membership vote but supports two-state solution
Canada was one of 25 countries that abstained from a United Nations vote on Palestinian membership that passed with overwhelming support on Friday.