Thank You OHIP

J picked a good week to be sick. March Break is really the best time for it I guess, if there is a best time. Now he's on antibiotics and getting better. E was seeming under the weather for a while, and the doctor assumed they both had a flu bug but J's morphed into something worse due to asthma. Now E's got a high fever and he's on his way for an appointment later today.

There have been several appointments. Two for J last week where we were seen, and one that I rescheduled after waiting for an hour and a half. J's got an appointment tonight with a social worker about his anxiety too. E was seen last week and was supposed to have his eighteen month shots on Wed., but now with being sick he has to be seen today and get that rescheduled. Things have been busy to say the least.

I was thinking though, about how grateful I am that I haven't had to pay for any of these appointments. Although health care policies in Canada are changing, they're still pretty good for the average citizen. Imagine if we had to pay for every appointment and checkup. I'd need a full-time job just to cover those bills!

Many parents have had weeks where they visit the doctor or emergency at least three times. Now take a minute to think about what it would be like to pay for all of those visits. Would you have still gone? Maybe, but it would have been pricey. I'm not advocating that we use health care mercilessly, but I like that it's there and free when we really need it.

I'm also grateful that the doctor's office where our family physician practices is so good. Most of the time if the kids are sick, they will see them same day, between appointments. When that's not possible, the extended hours clinic prioritizes patients who have a doctor in the same building. This means we hardly ever have to go to the emergency room to see a doctor, and we don't pay anything either for this extra consideration. They also always fast-track kids.

This is not a post about children being sick; that happens all the time. It's just a moment of gratitude that health care is so good in our country. People complain all the time about waiting and lack of doctors and maybe I was just lucky to get the physician we have, but I can't complain. Because while it's hard to have sick kids to take care of, at least the doctors and clinics around here aren't making it any worse for me.

Now to convince E he needs a nap before we go.....