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.
This type of medical facility is very broadly defined. In some cases there are small facilities inside super markets. These are normally staffed by nursing personnel. Other facilities focus on emergencies and trauma. Yet others are operated by charities. There are also a number of community health services. Prices differ wildly, often depending upon the type of staffing they enjoy. Some are free of charge, however.
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 benefit offered by these medical institutions is that the either charge a very modest fee or they are free of charge. With more than eleven thousand of them country wide, they are also almost always very conveniently located. As the name indicates, patients can simply attend without an appointment. The registration procedure is straight forward and simple.
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.
Many critics slam these medical facilities as utterly inadequate for even very basic health care. They cite the facts that many facilities do not even have an attending doctor, that basic diagnostic tools are seldom present and that the range of medication offered to patients are rudimentary. Critics say that the staff at any of these facilities only had very basic training and that they should not be allowed to attend to patients without supervision.
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.
This type of medical facility is very broadly defined. In some cases there are small facilities inside super markets. These are normally staffed by nursing personnel. Other facilities focus on emergencies and trauma. Yet others are operated by charities. There are also a number of community health services. Prices differ wildly, often depending upon the type of staffing they enjoy. Some are free of charge, however.
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 benefit offered by these medical institutions is that the either charge a very modest fee or they are free of charge. With more than eleven thousand of them country wide, they are also almost always very conveniently located. As the name indicates, patients can simply attend without an appointment. The registration procedure is straight forward and simple.
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.
Many critics slam these medical facilities as utterly inadequate for even very basic health care. They cite the facts that many facilities do not even have an attending doctor, that basic diagnostic tools are seldom present and that the range of medication offered to patients are rudimentary. Critics say that the staff at any of these facilities only had very basic training and that they should not be allowed to attend to patients without supervision.
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.