This seems to be a malaise that strikes all countries.

The System Now.

When I was a lad the local doctor used to call,
He’d come on inside and hang his hat in the hall,
He’d have the time to maybe sit on the bed and have a chat,
Dispensing advice as well as medicine and this and that,

It didn’t seem to worry him if half an hour had gone,
Sometimes even having a cup of tea, before moving on,
We were always glad to see him, counting him a family friend,
That was years ago, now replaced by the modern trend,

Nowadays if you need a doctor you have to join the queue,
Make an appointment, will next Tuesday week do?
No you can’t get in today the doctor is fully booked,
,Not even a cancellation, I just already looked,

No the doctors will not make home visits any more,
If the patient is so sick, take them to the hospital door,
Casualty is always full, it means at least five hour wait,
Then the chances of getting in are pretty slim and not that great,

So the story goes, the years go by and the situation never changes,
Politicians rant and rave blaming each other in heated exchanges,
Lack of funding, government bungling, all the usual excuses,
Promises of fixes, financial mixes, system abuses,

Population increasing, doctors decreasing situation worsens,
Viruses threaten, services lessen, patients left cursing,
One thing is certain, the system is hurting and rapidly failing,
Now the tables are turned, not the patients so much it’s the system
, that seems to be ailing.

John W 06/01/04