It was my 5-week post-surgery visit with my Cardiologist. I went with a lot of hope to get into my cardio rehab program quickly so that I could improve the speed of my recovery. However, things don’t work like that here in Canada, a government-paid (not Federal but provincial) private-run system where the quality of service levels are adequate on average but questionable overall, depending on who you ask. Having lived in the US, Singapore, and India I was used to a higher level of healthcare access than what is available here in Canada, my adopted home country now.

So the net of it is that I am progressing well. However, in order to start the 6-month cardiac rehab program, I need another treadmill stress test with ultrasound. Now, there is a backlog for this and this will take about four weeks to schedule followed by a further wait of two weeks for the results. So, that means I would have to wait for six weeks to sign up for the program with possibly a further wait before starting the program.

And that is rather disappointing. At this stage of getting to improve my activity and my heart rate, I need the assistance to figure out how far I can push myself each day and how quickly. That would indeed mean that I get access to physiotherapy support to figure out the tolerances that I could target with my improvements. Without this, I would be flying blind in my recovery process.

Unfortunately, there is limited choice in a government-run program. These programs are optimized for billing the government rather than being consumer-oriented. The Canadian healthcare system modeled after the NHS in the UK is steeped in inefficiency and ineffectiveness. It is reactive than a proactive system, geared to keep its providers in the business and incentivized by busyness and the number of visits the client makes rather than keeping them healthy.

Well, after a couple of days of moping, I am finally reconciled to the delay and grudgingly accepting the slow process. It is what it is. It is outside of my control. And, I don’t have much choice in this matter. I do have myself listed on the waiting list to see whether the tests can be had earlier, in case there are some cancellations. So, I am exercising the only option I really have - ride it out.

Resources:

Cardiac Rehabilitation and Education Program - https://www.haltonhealthcare.on.ca/services_/28763/s29703-outpatient-rehabilitation/t28345-cardiac-rehabilitation-and-education-program