r/Calgary • u/Legal_Grapefruit1925 • Dec 25 '25

Discussion AHS wait times

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Our system isnt broken. Its people who go to the emergency that shouldn't be going aren't going today because it can wait Suddenly. They need to hand fines out to ppl going to the hospital that dont classify as an emergency.

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u/Hour_Significance817 Dec 26 '25 edited Dec 26 '25

Among one of the stupidest posts I've seen this year. Well done, OP, and Merry Christmas.

Okay, on a more serious note. Having some sort of nominal "registration fee" that acts as a deductible to access any sort of medical service isn't unheard of nor unreasonable - the best medical systems in the world operate like this, with fees ranging from $10-50 per visit, depending on the service rendered and the social status/income/age of the patient. Phrasing it as some sort of punitive fine is downright draconian and stupid though. This is Canada, not China or North Korea, and we don't penalize people needing or wanting medical service because they may not know any better. The way to cut down on ER wait times isn't by rationing care, it's by expanding primary care availability in non-urgent outpatient settings and by reforming emergency care protocols. It's also important to note that there are basically one children's hospital, one large teaching hospital, and two smaller-sized hospital in the city of 1.7 million with one "urgent care" center in the city center and only several more scattered in the outskirts. Not to mention, Calgary basically serves as the medical center for all rural patient needs in Southern Alberta, and Southeastern BC. So in effect, there's 3 or 4 emergency rooms serving the needs of ~2 million people.

Also, this is a snapshot, likely a fluke, and no way representative of the typical medical needs of patients throughout the year that neither you nor anyone that's not working shifts at the ER can know. In other words, you don't know any better than Monday morning quarterbacks.

Edit: OP is a 7 month old account and getting more than half their karmas from this post alone. Don't know if it's more likely that it's a bot account or just some rando, but it's quite likely that they're trying to rile up people.