Thread by @alexhaagaard

[medical BS]

So, I recently figured out that the months-long symptom flare I've been experiencing seems to be due to my progestin pill losing efficacy.

It's been more than 2 years since I last saw my gyno so I knew they'd require me to get a new referral... 🧵

https://twitter.com/alexhaagaard/status/1391765628386791427

...which typically means you drop down to the bottom of the waitlist, which means waiting several months for an appointment (this was pre-pandemic mind you and I don't imagine the wait time has gotten shorter).

[abuse]

So I left a message, literally begging them to make an exception. I explained that in 2019 I had moved out of region to escape an abusive living situation, and that for the first year I could not afford to rent a car to drive 240km for a non-urgent appointment.

[abuse]

I explained that I was terrified that if left unaddressed for the better part of a year, my symptoms may worsen to the point that I lose the ability to work and to support myself, and that I may thus have to move back into that same abusive living situation.

(Note: I'm more than okay right now, I think the prospect of that happening is slim, but it is nonetheless a possibility, and it's never far from my mind when I experience a flare.)

The response I got this morning was, "I know that life sometimes gets in the way of everything but unfortunately I can't bend the rules and it's Ministry of Health policy that if we haven't seen a patient in more than one year, we must require a referral."

This is a rule that systematically restricts access to care for marginalized patients.

As far as I'm concerned, if you've sworn an oath to do no harm, and you are not willing to break or actively protest a rule like this, you are breaking your oath.