English patient refused treatment

yorkman · March 1, 2006

I don't believe this story for one moment. If the person had actually been refused service for not speaking French this would be a media story. It isn't. In my opinion, this person set out to be difficult and to create an issue and, no doubt, was abusive to the receptionist. This is a very easy story to read between the lines on. Fortunately, they didn't succeed as most people would be very skeptical of the claim. This item needed a reality check. Do you honestly believe that medical practitioners would turn you away because you couldn't speak French? If that were the case there would be twenty similar stories a day. In no way was I justifying the person being refused service. I see it as an effort on the parts of some to create an issue where one doesn't exist to support their particular agenda.

seabee · March 1, 2006

This patient was not refused treatment; she was just redirected to where she would get better care. And waiting time is a sad fact of health care.

Moreover, while working in a second clinic, the doctor had responsability only to the patients of that particular clinic, not to those of the other clinic. She should have been expelled, by security guards if necessary, for trying to disrupt the activities of that clinic.

There is no language issue there. Just a troublemaker, possibly an anglosupremacist who believes that an Anglo patient deserves to jump the queue over "frogs".

IPSC STORM · March 1, 2006

Refusing medical treatment on the basis of language. South Africa used to do stuff like that. They called it Aparthied. Don't Quebec doctors take the Hypocratic oath?

Cornwall is in Ontario. And it was a receptionist who refused treatment.

Even worse.

What is being missed here is the fact that the Dr she wanted to see was her FAMILY doctor. He just happens to work in this French clinic a few hours a week.

Thus is it perfectly logical for her to try and seek him out. This is just another example of French speaking Canadians thinking they have "extra" rights and powers.

wellandboy · March 1, 2006

This patient was not refused treatment; she was just redirected to where she would get better care. And waiting time is a sad fact of health care.
Moreover, while working in a second clinic, the doctor had responsability only to the patients of that particular clinic, not to those of the other clinic. She should have been expelled, by security guards if necessary, for trying to disrupt the activities of that clinic.

There is no language issue there. Just a troublemaker, possibly an anglosupremacist who believes that an Anglo patient deserves to jump the queue over "frogs".

You realize the woman in question just happens to be married to a francophone. In Welland the French clinic will only serve patients who speak French while in the clinic. This is a case of hiding behind the French Language Services Act to maintain exclusivity within French communities in Ontario.