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.

A lot of people think that all these facilities offer emergency treatment. This is definitely not the case. Many do, but many others offer limited services and are not equipped to deal with trauma and emergencies. The majority of facilities do not even employ a doctor. Those without health care benefits should familiarize themselves with the free and affordable facilities in their area.

Clearly, the main benefit of these medical facilities is the fact that their services are either free or at least at a minimal fee. Patients can simply attend. No appointments are necessary and the attending staff normally treat patients on a first arrived first helped basis, but emergencies always enjoy priority, of course. Patients are accepted without having to answer potentially awkward questions on citizenship, for example.

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.

Critics say that these facilities are inadequate and that they simply prove the fact that adequate health care for all is a fallacy. They also complain that very few of these facilities are equipped with the latest diagnostic tools and that they often carry only a very limited range of medication. In many cases patients are treated by staff that are not properly trained.

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.

Nobody will argue the fact that proper health care for all should be a national priority. At present, the poor and needy simply have to make do with what is on offer. Ideally, every citizen should be able to depend upon quality care when they need it. In the meantime, affordable and free medical facilities fulfil a very urgent need.




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