MORE DOCTORS AND NURSES NEEDED

I had a bad fall on Sept. 30 and every day following I was in a lot of pain. My left hand was black and blue. I had a feeling my pinky finger was broken.

As time went by and my hand was not getting any better, I went to see my family doctor. The secretary at his office sent me to the New Waterford Consolidated Hospital for an x-ray. My dear friend, Carol, accompanied me to the hospital and after a few hours one of the RNs said we would have to go the Glace Bay Hospital to see a doctor.

After waiting in Glace Bay for 3.5 hours, a nurse came out and apologized that there was only one doctor on call and he had two emergencies to deal with. Also, the hospital was closing at 4 p.m. and we would have to go to the Cape Breton Regional Hospital in Sydney.

With that news my friend and I headed to Sydney. When we arrived at the hospital the waiting area was full and there was nowhere to sit.

Our health-care system in Cape Breton is poor, but I do not blame the hard-working nurses and doctors at our hospitals. It is the shortage of staff that is so detrimental to our healthcare system here on the Island.

After waiting for another hour,

I told the nurse I had been to three hospitals and was too tired and sore to wait any longer. She told me to try to come in early in the morning and I should be able to see a doctor right away.

The next morning, I arrived early and saw Dr. Buhariwalla. He was very kind and told me I would have to see the specialist, Dr. Bryan, as he may have to operate on my broken finger.

I was nervous at the thought of an operation at my age but Dr. Bryan and Dr. Buhariwalla decided to cast my finger and would check my progress in two weeks’ time.

My determination to see a doctor paid off and I am thankful to the kind doctors and nurses at our hospitals. I hope we will be able to attract more doctors and nurses to our island in the future as this would greatly contribute the understaffing issue at our hospitals.

Mary O’Rielley Sydney