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Well said Stan. It is a complicated issue.

It's 12 30 am here in Ontario and I'm back at the hospital with the wife. Probably going to admit her.

Hope all goes well for you tomorrow Stan.

In Britain we have huge problems with our National Health Service. Our taxes fund it. Doctor’s surgeries and hospitals are at bursting point. In many cases, this is caused by mass immigration swelling the population. We also get so called health tourists - people who live in other countries, where health care is poor or expensive, and who are in need of treatment. So they fly to Britain, present themselves at a hospital emergency department, and seemingly get treatment at our expense.

No doubt your wife’s doctor will prescribe a tablet to control her AF. A couple of years ago, I began having spells when my heart beat was very irregular. I started taking co enzyme Q10, plus magnesium, and since then I’ve been ok.
Anyway, hopefully your wife is improving now.
Best wishes,
Jim

Interesting topic, and fascinating to see how "health care" is administered / delivered in another part of the world.
As Jim says the UK's NHS model is struggling, like most developed countries, the UK has an ever increasing aging/elderly population, and when I worked in the NHS there was a crude measure that proved 95% of patient cost occured in the last 5% of life - so its an ever worsening funding situation. Coupled with mass immigration it makes NHS funding a difficult beast to tame. But the goal that care should be provided "free at the point of delivery" - (with exception for certain dental and opthalmic services) it is just about being achieved over here. However, it is genuinely reassuring to me as an aging man, that whilst far from perfect there is "free" health care provision to rely on.

Re private health care - when I worked (now retired) I always had workplace provided private health insurance and was gratefuI that over meny years I never needed it - but it really annoyed me that the government, rather than be grateful I took away a potential burden from the NHS, hit me with an annual "benefit in kind" tax of approx £800 / $1000 for having the luxury of private health care.

Not sure what charges are like elsewhere, but the UK governments current central funding equates to approx £2300 GBP / $3000 for every man, woman and child in the UK - thats generated thru income taxation and national insurance charges taken at source out of everyones salary or pension. Pretty sure I read recently that equates as a crude average to every person in employment paying £7.7k GBP or $10k USD. Its not difficult to see why annual large scale immigration of many hundreds of thousand of people does put massive strain on that funduing model. Anyway, thats my tuppence on the matter.

Hope your surgery goes well Stan, and that your wife is soon well John.

]Cheers Tim

Reading recent news another thing crossed my mind, since the health care and immigration was thrown in the mix. Canada used to be a popular choice for many genuine potential new Canadians a few decades ago. These days not so much. I think the largest group consists of people with no choice and invited, or economic/business opportunists.

My father, in 1981, jumped his ship in Panama Canal. He stayed there for 10 months I think in an army compound. All the navy man had to submit refugee applications to all the available countries. Australia, New Zealand, USA, South Africa, and Canada. Canada answered first, so most went to Canada. The Canadian government gave them a $1000 loan for the plane ticket, and another for the start. They had a time frame to repay it and that's what my father did, as soon as he got a job. And that happened very fast, despite very limited English. These days new immigrant gets so many things free without obligation it's hard to keep track of it. The money which should be spent, among other things, on improving the current health care. Making the place stronger first, then inviting more people to where those who are already in are well taken care of.

A huge crowd of newcomers are coming not because Canada is their first choice. It's because they were invited here. 0r - rejected elsewhere. Just a couple days ago, Canada will be having exponentially more people coming from Africa. Nigeria and some other couple countries from the region. And I guess I don't need to mention Iran! And China? That's actually a scxandal in my opinion. The World Health 0rganization warns against travel frm corona virus infected areas. Countries temporarily restrict travel from those places, especially China. But Canada - voila! Everyone welcome! And who's gonna pay if there is an outbreak here?

Alrighty. Enough serious matter for me for tonight. But I guess you can see I am feeling alright after the surgery. It went well, I have a beautiful graft under the dressing (so they made me believe, haha).
It was smooth and I am feeling so much better so soon comparing to the first one I had on Monday - dead tissue removal and dealing with a raging infection. I will have a first look at my new 'Franken leg' next Wednesday.

Thank you the well wishers.

Stan

Just a small token regarding health care in BC. Tina, my riding companion, came back from a specialist. She is a senior at 70 with no additional insurance coverage other than the government healthcare. They changed her cast (broken wrist), which is a normal procedure. The national healthcare covers only the first cast. The second - must pay out of pocket $24. My parents, 80 and 81, must check their blood sugar. They've been here for almost 40 years. The national healthcare always supplied the strips to do this test. Surprise! Since recently they supply only 6 month. The next 6 the senior suddenly must pay out of pocket. I think it's about $90 per person. Did their pension go up? Yes - by $10 a month I think! hahaha! In the meantime, food went 20-30% up, apartment rent goes up by 5% every year, and so on. It's one step forward three backwards reality here for ordinary folks, immigrants by coincidence. There are many hidden 'gifts' like these and unless you are in need, it's easy to live in an illusion that all is the same ol'e like it used to be.

If you know, I got 3rd degree burns on my calf from the bike's exhaust. I had a graft taken from my thigh, and applied t the burn site. Two surgeries. The post op is absolutely sub standard. Literally, like if they don't know what they are doing! Had two post op visits to change dressing - 7 days apart! They cut off antibiotics after 5 days since the grafy surgery.
The dressings should be changed every couple days, and antibiotics administered much longer. So, thanks to persistently incompetent people and disorganized plastics/burn unit at the VGH (Vancouver General Hospital), I had to visit emergency two times again. The last time, just two days after being looked at by the head of burn surgery, who said all is good despite having raw meat at my donor site 14 days after the surgery which according to all the books should heal after 7-10 days, he just let me go as is. No shit, I ended up in ER just less than 48 hours later with a nasty infection and green puss oozing all over the wound. Back on antibiotics, by another 'genius'. That other 'specialist' too culture swaps of the puss for laboratory. The first try - the assisting 'resident surgeon' touched, or perhaps that olive skinned arrogant nother doctor on purpose, touched the swap area. So they had to do it again. The asshole dug into the wound deep with disregard to any pain. d, despite and dry - just wiggled the q-tip extensively in the crater filled with blood, despite other areas contaminated and exposed with puss. Putting the q-tip in the vile, he flicked it and it flew and landed on my jacket. Never bothered to clean the stains, had to ask my friend to bring tissues. The resident doctor said she has no experience??? Third try, the olive 'specialist' did another swap, while arrogantly joking about having fun taking it. I said I am not having fund that much, met with more stupid remarks. He left to come back after a few minutes to take another swap, for the fourth time! The eventually got my legs wrapped up.

While laying there, I too this photo of a note on the wall, so people get to know a bit more about the Canadian healthcare. Guys in the USA, it's not all free, not all up to standards, and don't get fooled by uneducated oblivious runners up in you election. The 'free' here is basics and a limited spectrum of serious conditions. All paid by taxes. There is nothing free! Get particular serious conditions - many not covered. And drugs are not free as well. Must pay, if you are just a bit above poverty and the last research shows 9% of Canadians live below the poverty line.

So, here you go. Feel free to share: the Canadian healthcare is N0T free!