Calgary Walk In Clinics Provide Affordable Basic Health Care

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.

Many people erroneously think that all these facilities offer urgent care services. This is not the case. At many facilities there are only very basic services available. The majority of services do not even have an attending physician. It is therefore advisable to find out just what facilities there are, what services they offer and what they charge. In most areas there are at least one or two facilities within a convenient distance of most of the population.

The main advantage of these facilities is the fact that they are either free or very affordable. There are approximately eleven thousand such services country wide. Patients do not need an appointment. They can simply present themselves and services are very seldom refused. In most cases patients are seen on a first come first served basis. Of course, true emergencies will always receive preferential treatment.

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.




About the Author: