Patients Wait Decade to See Doc

Mark Glazebrook, M.D., a foot surgeon in Nova Scotia, has 3, 000 patients on his waiting list. A current patient, Myra Bailey, waited eight years for an appointment about her sore left foot. “On a daily basis I’m seeing people that were referred to me as long ago as 2003. People are waiting an excess of 10 years to have a consultation to advance them to a surgery list if indeed they need surgery, ” he said, according to an interview by CBC News.

Glazebrook is one of two surgeons currently specializing in foot and ankle surgeries in Nova Scotia. He is urging the minister of health to hire other specialists, warning that unless the province hires more specialists those already waiting a decade for an appointment will have to wait even longer. Glazebrook is about to become the province’s only foot and ankle specialist, according to the CBC report.

“If we can get another surgeon hired here in Nova Scotia the wait list problem will be held at bay and if we can get two surgeons that wait list problem will eventually disappear over time, ” he said. “I can only see so many patients and work so many days so I try to maintain my sanity and I try to do as much work as I can but it’s well beyond my control to correct this wait list. We need resources to correct this wait list and more surgeons.”

According to the report, the health minister said he is not yet ready to commit to hiring any new foot and ankle surgeons.