Why You Can’t Find a Family Doctor

Monday, October 28, 2024

This week from The Walrus:

Your Doctor Won’t See You Now—or Ever Again

Why family medicine is dying

BY MONICA KIDD

Fox thinks she might be able to find a doctor in Sylvan Lake or Olds, both about an hour away. But that’s not so simple either. “That’s a long drive, and being a single mom on a low income, it’s a struggle,” she says. “Sometimes we’ve got to move our appointments because I don’t have gas money.”

Fox has tried virtual options but doesn’t feel they offer the same quality of interaction as in‐person visits do, especially for her neurodiverse kids. Instead, she relies on pharmacists. (She paid one $45 recently to test her kid for strep throat.) Or the hospital. “It doesn’t matter what it is,” she says, “if it’s the littlest thing, I take them to emerg.” Wait times are long, but what else can she do?

“We,” she says, “are not getting the care we need.”

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A photo illustration of a bear trap, with an orange bottle of tablets at its centre.

The Multi‐Trillion‐Dollar Wellness Industry Is Making Us Sick

Alternative medicine has become a scrutiny‐free wonderland for anything and everything

BY JONATHAN N. STEA

A photograph of a woman and man seen from behind. They're standing in front of a blue sky. The man is looking towards the woman.

My Husband Wanted to Have a Child. I Didn’t. Here Is How It Went

I was afraid we would one day have a conversation ending in regrets

BY NICOLE LOUIE

We’re in the Golden Age of Garbage Clothing

Pilling sweaters, stretched‐out socks, flimsy denim. What happened to good garments?

BY MONIKA WARZECHA

The False Promise of Starting Afresh in Atlantic Canada

If you’re moving to the East Coast for cheaper housing and friendly neighbours, think again

BY TREVOR CORKUM

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In this episode of What Happened Next, host Nathan Whitlock chats with Ainslie Hogarth, author of two YA horror novels, The Lonely and The Boy Meets Girl Massacre (Annotated), the adult horror novel Motherthing, and—most recently—Normal Women. They talk about Halloween, provoking readers, and the perils of trying to remake yourself as a writer.

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