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Julie Lewis lined up looking for a same-day doctor appointment at Yellowknife Primary Care on July 29. She said she’s been frustrated in the past trying to book a same-day appointment by phone. (Luke Carroll\/CBC)<\/p>\nAt 7:40 a.m. on July 29, the waiting room for the Yellowknife Primary Care clinic and laboratory services was packed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Julie Lewis was one of the first in line that morning for a same-day doctor appointment at the clinic. She thought she fractured a rib and said she was in \u201cextreme, extreme pain.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She said she lined up to guarantee an appointment. Her other option would have been to call and try to book a same-day appointment through the primary care line that opens at 8:05 a.m. on weekdays, but she said that’s never worked for her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI usually do call \u2026 set the alarm for 8:04, and I start calling at 8:05, continuously, continuously. And it hangs up, it’s too busy,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBy the time somebody answers, by 8:15, all appointments are taken.\u201d<\/p>\n
Julie Lewis lined up looking for a same-day doctor appointment at Yellowknife Primary Care on July 29. She said she’s been frustrated in the past trying to book a same-day appointment by phone. (Luke Carroll\/CBC)<\/p>\n
CBC News spent three mornings speaking with people who were in line for both the same-day appointments and laboratory services at Yellowknife\u2019s downtown primary care clinic.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Many said the lineups are frustrating and a sign of an overextended health-care system, but others say they are thankful that a same-day service exists and that Yellowknife is lucky to have it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Phone service frequently busy<\/p>\n
The Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority (NTHSSA) points residents to its phone line for making same-day appointments. But when CBC News asked people in line at Yellowknife Primary Care why they didn’t call that line, many said it’s impossible to get through.\u00a0<\/p>\n
CBC News tried calling the clinic on July 30 at 8:05 a.m. and a message said the line had too many callers and to try again later.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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CBC News attempted to call the clinic for a same-day appointment at 8:05 a.m., when the phone line opened, but a message said the line was busy and to call later. Many people lined up at Yellowknife Primary Care described being frustrated by similar experiences. (Luke Carroll\/CBC)<\/p>\n
Many of those in line, like Julie Lewis, said they were in urgent situations but did not want to deal with the emergency department.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI’d rather come stand in line and wait and see, than wait for hours on end. And I have not had good experiences with emergency in the past,\u201d Lewis said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Afua Gyamerah lined up at the clinic at 7:20 a.m. on Tuesday hoping to see a doctor. She described the system as “not the best approach to health care.”<\/p>\n
“Because when you come for a same-day appointment and you don\u2019t get called in, you don\u2019t have many options,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Afua Gyamerah waiting outside the Yellowknife Primary Care clinic on July 28. She showed up at about 7:20 a.m. that morning to be sure that she could see a doctor. (Luke Carroll\/CBC)<\/p>\n
Gyamerah said she went to the emergency department two days earlier and waited four hours to get called.<\/p>\n
20-30 slots open a day, says health authority<\/p>\n
Krystal Pidborochynski, a spokesperson for the health authority, wrote in an email that the same-day clinic is specifically for those \u201cwith urgent needs that cannot wait.\u201d<\/p>\n
She said there are a limited number of same-day appointments, ranging from 20 to 30 depending on the day. Pidborochynski said the number of people turned away each day also varies but is typically fewer than 10, and sometimes zero. She said there is also a waiting list and patients are contacted if spaces open.<\/p>\n
Pidborochynski said some residents end up lining up early to guarantee they get a place.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe understand that some individuals choose to arrive early, particularly when seeking a same-day appointment, and we continue to review clinic operations to ensure patients have clear information about access to services,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Some of the people in line told CBC News they were frustrated by the wait, while others who have lived elsewhere in the country said they were happy they had access to the service. <\/p>\n
Walk-in clinics exist in most other jurisdictions, but access to them differs in urban and rural areas. Urban areas often have more options, but they also often have longer wait times. <\/p>\n
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A sign at the Yellowknife Primary Care clinic stating the territory is short medical practitioners and urging patience. (Luke Carroll\/CBC)Lab services in high demand<\/p>\n
There was a large crowd in the waiting room all three mornings CBC News visited the primary care clinic. The vast majority of people were waiting for laboratory services, which include blood work, urine samples and transfusions, among other things.<\/p>\n
Allan Digness showed up at 6:30 a.m. on July 28 to be first in line for lab services. He was waiting on the sidewalk outside the facility, since the doors don\u2019t open until 7:45 a.m., with clinic services beginning at 8:05 a.m.<\/p>\n
Digness lives on the Ingraham Trail and said he had to wake up at 5:30 a.m. to get there early.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s usually a lineup of 30 or 40 people, and I don\u2019t want to wait all day,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you don\u2019t get here real early, then your chance of getting an appointment are nil, you\u2019re not going to get one.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Over the course of three days, CBC News saw several people leave the clinic after seeing the line.<\/p>\n
Digness said his options for lab work were to wait in line or make an appointment at the hospital, which can take weeks.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s absolutely ridiculous,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Digness says he often travels to Central America and it takes about 15 minutes to see a doctor there \u2014 but you do have to pay.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the G7 countries, we shouldn\u2019t be waiting an hour to get in, to stand in line, to get blood work done.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Elvis Brown said the line for laboratory services often moves quickly. (Luke Carroll\/CBC)<\/p>\n