More House Calls? Don't Hold Your Breath.

With the Ontario provincial election just around the corner, all parties have started to release elements of their platforms.  Of course, we have all become accustomed to believing what they do, rather than what they say, during election run ups.


What caught my eye, however, was a promise by the Liberals to bring back house calls by GPs, for the elderly.  Its all part and parcel of their desire to assist and keep the elderly in their homes for as long as possible.  Its also in keeping with many of the Liberals' healthcare decisions and budget dollars allocated since the last election, to reduce the numbers of elderly that often end up in nursing homes.


While a well-intentioned policy, the reality of doctors agreeing to conduct house calls is an unrealistic expectation.  When Dad returned home after his last stay at Trillium, he needed medical attention twice before he passed away.  Both times, we called his family doctor of 25 years, Dr. Martina Rabzel, and she declined to see him at home, even though her office was less that a 5 minute drive away.  Nor was she able to offer any referrals or suggestions as to how to get him medical attention, other than the emergency room at Trillium.  


Fortunately, my brother was aware of MedVisit, a service that provided house calls for any sick patient with a valid OHIP card in the GTA area.  But what do you do if you're outside of the GTA area?  And what happens as more people learn of this service; will it be able to meet growing demand? 


With a growing elderly population, unless the government can double or triple MedVisits budget , then fund similar services in every Ontario region, then really, what is the point of today's announcement?  Because we know how their last big announcement about greater funding to keep the elderly at home longer with greater in-home service through the CCAC's turned out:  it sucked dollars out of the general CCAC budgets for elderly that were already at home, rather than elderly that were being newly discharged from hospitals.  


Budgets are finite, folks.  So, we need to ask ourselves where exactly are the dollars for more house calls for elderly come from?  What other services will be delisted?  What other surgeries will be cut?  


And where are these supposed doctors to come from?  How many of the GPs in the system today care enough to make those greater number of house calls.  I can tell you that Dad's GP likely wouldn't be one of them.