Title: "A day in Canadian healthcare."

URL: https://twitter.com/frozen/status/1518988271610564608/

Description: Tom Jackman on Twitter: "A day in Canadian healthcare. Last November, I experienced a sudden onset of unexplained tremors (internal and external). I'm 42. I contacted my GP, who told me to wait and see. 6 weeks later, the tremors continued to worsen, and my GP made a referral to a neurologist. / 3mo. later, no neuro appointment received, I followed up. My GP said she would expedite the appointment, and order an MRI. She also said she would see me in her office to take a look. After much back-and-forth with the scheduler, I was finally able to book an in-person appt. / Which brings me to yesterday. I arrived at my GP's office, and was immediately told by the door person to don a surgical mask in place of my new N95, or to wear one over it. In April 2022. Every staff member and doc in the clinic was wearing a baggy blue. In April 2022. / I came home in disbelief, only to encounter this excellent if depressing piece of reporting by @brish_ti . Vancouver Island hospitals are so slammed with COVID patients that they're considering moving some patients to hotel rooms to recover. In April 2022. https://twitter.com/brish_ti/status/1518740421756604419?t=01JNzZc1FDLSBXD8rX53Rg&s=19 / Yesterday was also the date of my head MRI. I arrived at Nanaimo's NRGH and was greeted by hand sanitizer stations and baggy blue masks. In my entire time there, I didn't see a single doctor, nurse, patient, visitor, or staff member wearing a respirator. Not one. In April 2022. / The MRI tech offered me a baggy blue, but I explained that I was wearing a new N95 with nose piece removed (taped to obtain a proper seal). She responded, and I kid you not, "but if it's sealed how will you be able to breathe?" In April 2022. / So here we are, more than 2 years into a global pandemic caused by an airborne pathogen, and British Columbia's entire healthcare apparatus remains less well kitted than a transit bus in Rome. https://twitter.com/frozen/status/1517900806556569600?t=4NDST90xtzCzKQOfbY3hyQ&s=19 / If you're wondering how we got here, it's because the people in charge of setting our masking policies aren't really in favour of masks, and have never been seen in or recommended N95s. / These health officials believe vaccines are "silver bullets," and insist on stubbornly trying to prove the point while Canadian hospitals are overwhelmed. https://twitter.com/frozen/status/1367579475387375616?t=raKuqspOACLKzCyMmbm6BQ&s=19 / My advice? Follow my son's lead—not mask skeptics—and wear a quality, well-fitting respirator."

Loading Wayback Capture Info...

Loading video data...

Subject:   Island Health,  Basu, Brishti,  Nanaimo Regional General Hospital