Calgary Walk In Clinics Are Often The Only Hope For The Under Privileged

By Jordan Schmidt


Few things are as stressful as when medical attention is urgently needed but the money needed for the treatment simply is not available. This is the situation millions of people find themselves in. Medical insurance and cash will pay for treatment at the best facilities and by the very best doctors, but few can afford this. Calgary walk in clinics are often a godsend for such people. They can get treatment.

The broad definition of this type of medical institution includes a wide variety of facilities. Many facilities are conveniently situated inside shopping centres. Others are operated from the premises of sponsoring charities. Local health services also operate such facilities. Not all of these medical institutions have doctors on board. Prices range from free of charge to a minimal fee, mostly depending upon the type of service offered.

Various facilities offer different types of services. Some specialize in urgent care and emergencies while others only provide very rudimentary services. Some institutions are staffed by nurses only. There are many of these medical facilities and families without medical insurance should take the trouble to ascertain themselves of just where the are and what services they offer. In this way no time will be wasted when medical attention becomes a priority.

Clearly, the main benefit of these medical facilities is the fact that their services are either free or at least at a minimal fee. Patients can simply attend. No appointments are necessary and the attending staff normally treat patients on a first arrived first helped basis, but emergencies always enjoy priority, of course. Patients are accepted without having to answer potentially awkward questions on citizenship, for example.

Unfortunately, many of these facilities have to tend to large numbers of patients. This result in long queues and sometimes very long waiting periods. In addition, due to limited staff and facilities, patients are rushed through. In many cases patients cannot be helped simply because the facility does not have the equipment, medication or skilled staff necessary to deal with the problem at hand.

There are many critics. One of their main complaints is the fact that the majority of these facilities are understaffed and that the staff they do have on board have limited training. They say that patients are compromised by the fact that modern diagnostic tools and the latest treatment methods are often not available. They decry the fact that medication is in short supply and that follow up is often a non existent dream.

Private medical practitioners also often criticise these facilities. They argue that it is impossible to properly treat a patient without a full history of his health. Without such a history it is not possible to diagnose potentially serious diseases on the basis of new symptoms. They say that these clinics, at best, treat symptoms and not the underlying conditions that cause those symptoms.

Public health care remains a controversial issue. Millions cannot afford the very best medical care and have to be satisfied with what they can best afford. The answer, reformers argue, is an overhaul of the health care system. They say that every citizen should have access to quality health care.




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