cktimes.ca Archives for The Pastoral Lens
The Pastoral Lens
No Doctor Shortage In Center Field
Tuesday, April 29, 2003
I phoned my doctor this past week to make an appointment. I was informed, once again, that he was not taking any appointments for 5 weeks. This happened the last time I called, too. That time I countered with, "Oh, I'm sorry, did I forget to mention that I was 8 months pregnant?" The nurse was on to me, though. "Nice try, Mr. Horrobin, but you're still not going to get in and see him." Thankfully, I was able both times to see another, newer doctor, one whose case load has not quite reached capacity.For those of you who are reading this article from afar, I should inform you that we have a doctor shortage here in Chatham-Kent. Yes, I'm aware that this problem also exists elsewhere. For some reason we just can't seem to attract doctors to our community to set up their practice. Thanks to the local Rotary Club in Wallaceburg, we now have an aggressive recruitment plan in place to help address the problem. Scholarships are being awarded to students entering medical school in return for a commitment to serve in our area for a specified period of time. Thankfully, there are still some students willing to pay the price of years of hard study to become doctors, but the catch is still to get them to come to small communities like ours.
I say all of this to present a contrasting situation. Our editor, John Gardiner, has been chatting it up with some of the locals lately on the topic of skyrocketing salaries in Major League Baseball (and other professional sports, I presume). In general, I keep up with the daily beat of professional baseball, and I can tell you something that won't come as a surprise to you at all. In all the newspaper articles, television interviews, and radio play-by-play colour analysis, I have never once heard of a team in Major League Baseball that was strapped for a doctor. They all have them, that's for sure, and with all the injuries, they are certainly needed. Nevertheless, I've never come across any job postings for "team doctor needed desperately for active team" at any time. Gee, my sarcastic, inquiring mind wants to know why not! Allow me to be a little bit caustic here. How is it that multi-million dollar men with an ingrown toenail get on-the-spot medical attention while the average blue-collar worker in Chatham-Kent has to wait weeks for an appointment for things more serious? Does one's salary or status deem them more worthy of a doctor's immediate attention?
I want to say something right here, before finishing this article. I am grateful for the men and women who are serving as doctors here in Chatham-Kent. They are overworked but continue, day after day, to help the people of this community. But in this upside-down world, things are not what they should be. God knows that very well. The Bible clearly states in a number of places that "God is not one to show partiality" (Acts 10:34, amongst many verses). Iíll try to remember that the next time I make an appointment with my doctor and can't get in to see him. Iíll try to remember to lift him up in prayer and thank God for the work he and others are doing. In the meantime, if I need more urgent attention, I may try to win a spot in center field!
