New immigrants can start looking for a family doctor after receiving their health card. In Canada’s healthcare system, family doctors are the first point of contact for patients, and their role can be simply described as "initial diagnosis." Unless it is an emergency, patients usually visit their family doctor first when they feel unwell. If the family doctor believes the issue is minor, they will provide a diagnosis and appropriate treatment; if the situation is more complex or deemed serious, the family doctor will refer the patient to a specialist or hospital. Generally, specialists do not accept outpatient patients directly unless referred by a family doctor. Specialists have a narrower but deeper area of expertise. If the situation is serious, such as requiring surgery, patients are typically referred directly to the hospital.
This healthcare system differs somewhat from the healthcare system familiar to Chinese immigrants, primarily in the role of the family doctor. In China, there is no family doctor system; if one feels unwell, they go directly to the hospital. Therefore, new immigrants often face the question of "how to find a family doctor" or "who to choose as a family doctor." Some friends prefer to find a Western family doctor because they believe their attitude is better than that of Chinese family doctors. This may be true, as there are generally fewer Chinese family doctors in Vancouver compared to the number of Chinese patients, leading to a situation where they are often pressed for time and unable to provide detailed explanations or answer patients' questions. It is also common to have an appointment but wait for two hours, only to see the doctor for five minutes. Furthermore, many Chinese family doctors are now fully booked and have stopped accepting new patients.
However, most immigrant friends have limited English proficiency in medical contexts, so they generally still seek family doctors who can speak Mandarin. Therefore, it is recommended that in the early stages of immigration, one should visit several doctors based on friends' recommendations to find a family doctor with whom they feel comfortable.
One aspect that often makes new immigrants from our home country feel the most uncomfortable is the need to make an appointment to see a family doctor. Many investment immigrants have privileges in their home country, where a single phone call can arrange a hospital visit, but in Canada, a highly egalitarian country, it is difficult to enjoy the same privileges.
Even if an appointment is made, one may still have to wait for an hour or so on the day of the visit. If this happens occasionally, it may be understandable due to complex cases that day, but if it happens every time, we might feel that the clinic does not respect patients enough and should consider changing doctors.