Fredericton — New Brunswickers who are sick of waiting to get their bone fractures set are being told, “Them’s the breaks.”
Newly released figures show that New Brunswick has the longest wait times to get broken bones set in the country, and it’s not going to get better anytime soon according to medical experts.
“My wife brought me in to Emergency after I fell off of the ladder,” said 55-year-old Norton resident Oz Cassais. “I could tell my arm was broken because my arm bones were sticking out of my skin like toothpicks in a sandwich.
“It looked pretty bad to me,” he said. “But, the nurses said that the doctors would be able to see me in about 24 to 48 hours, depending on who was ahead of me in line. I almost said ‘Screw it!’ and left but my bride made me stay. And, I do need one hand for the remote and one for my beer, so it’s not like I had a choice.”
On Wednesday, the Canadian Institute of Health Information announced that more New Brunswick patients are waiting longer for hip and knee replacements, as well as cataract surgeries. They also revealed longer wait times for certain emergency procedures including fixing broken bones and removing foreign objects intentionally inserted into the anus.
Tony Day from the New Brunswick Association of Doctors and Other Medical Stuff (NBADOMS) admitted that longer wait times are increasingly likely as baby boomers grow older.
“Twenty per cent of New Brunswickers are 65 years old or older,” he said. “When those folks break a bone, they show up at the hospital so fast you’d think there was an early bird special!
“Instead of rushing to the emergency room, try to find yourself a roll of duct tape and see if you can handle it yourself. If the pain persists, take two extra Alpines and call us in the morning.”