Job Discussion Forums

[chan_konabe]

I completely agree that early medical testing is very important in many health-related cases, not just pregnancy. Neonatal care is a very hot topic in BC now because there have been some high-profile cases of pregnant mothers being sent to other provinces or even to the US because of a shortage of neo-natal care facilities here. I have no doubt that this situation wouldn't happen if they followed your example and practiced more early-intervention care.

I do not agree with the 12th week policy and I'm sorry that my words sounded like a personal justification of a short-sighted policy. I completely agree that early care, especially in the first trimester of pregnancy when the baby is undergoing such rapid and dramatic changes, is incredibly important. If you'd like more information on the first prenatal check up for the Vancouver Island Health Authority (VIHA), check out their General Guideline for Prenatal Checkups. However, I have no doubt that a doctor wouldn't turn you away from an appointment before the 12th week if you had any concerns about your or the baby's health.

Of course, prenatal care varies from province to province and from country to country. One thing that surprised my wife was that there was only one required ultrasound (given between 18-20 weeks) here. If the doctor decides that another one is medically necessary, however, they will schedule more. In my wife's home country, there are two required ultrasounds, one at 18 weeks and the other at 30 weeks.

[koshechka]

thank you for posting, i found the website very insightful. it had a link to the listing of all the doctors and there were more than enough supposedly accepting new patients. so, i don't understand why people say that it is impossible to see a doctor if you are new. what has been your wife's experience?
thanks,
koshechka
p.s. this is unrelated, but how cold is it usually in the winter? my husband is mexican and he is a bit nervous about the weather, that and the rain.
cheers

[VanKen]

[Samantha]

That dreary cold rain of Vancouver winters is why I moved to Mexico seven years ago. My Mexican husband loves BC but that's because he has only seen it in summer.

[chan_konabe]

koshechka - My wife and I had absolutely no problem finding a doctor accepting maternity patients. We just went to the nearest one and that was all. Our doctor has been incredible. She works in a group of seven doctors so that there is always someone on-call for emergencies 24 hrs a day. They host 'Meet the Doctor' nights so that you can meet all of them in the practice. My wife worked in hospitals in her home country and she has given all of the doctors here (and, especially, the nurses) an "A+".

[koshechka]

thanks, so far so good. minus the rain that is.

[choctawmicmac]

Back the truck up here. Americans and Mexicans can live legally in Canada under NAFTA. The North American Free Trade Agreement.

[GambateBingBangBOOM]

Yeah, that's the same agreement that allows Canadians to freely cross the border and get jobs in the US.

And of course there are no Mexicans in the States 'illegally' because under NAFTA, that should be an impossible situation (and so there are no Americans patrolling the border in Arizona with guns).

This agreement was set up with businesses in mind, not individual people. And each country immediately set up a tonne of different ways to prevent people from the other countries (well, at least the US and Canada did, I don't know about Mexico) coming and staying in their country.

[spiral78]

NAFTA is about Free Trade - not individual working/living permits!!

It's business (as usual).