Another brush with healthcare

I still think the Canadian healthcare system works well for people who tend to be healthy and for those who are very sick. I'm lucky enough to have little experience in between.

Last week, I developed an infection and decided to go to the walk-in clinic sooner rather than later. I don't have a family physician; they are in short supply in this area and I am one of those who tend to be healthy. After waiting for a couple of hours, I got in to see the physician. This was my third time to see him, all for sinus-infection-type ailments. It was speedy, but thorough. He talks quickly but also listens. He mentioned a few things to watch for if the antibiotics he was prescribing didn't help--and he talked with me at length about the type of antibiotic he was using and why, which is reassuring to those of us who are allergic to penicillin.

I had my prescription filled at the pharmacy in the same building. The pharmacist made sure I knew the instructions for the medication and told me some more about the type of antibiotic. He even mentioned the types of side effects that were normal.

So I was prepared for my mouth to taste a lot like dirty feet. Which it still does, because I'm still taking these honkin' big antibiotic pills. But my infection cleared almost as if by magic after 48 hours.

People on this side of the border (and south of it, as well) either beatify or vilify the Canadian healthcare system. (That's actually a misnomer--each province administers its own system, which must meet certain federal guidelines.) In any case, the truth about the healthcare system, of course, lies somewhere in between heaven and hell.

Now, if pharmaceutical companies could just develop antibiotics that don't leave that godawful aftertaste...