Seeking prompt diagnosis at a walk-in clinic can be a benefit for patients, sparing them potential wait for a family doctor appointment, especially as many provinces grapple with physician shortages. However, this convenience can come at a cost for primary physicians who may financially bear the brunt of the decision.

Peter Hičo, a paramedic for the Capital District Health Authority, was feeling extreme “moral fatigue” while at the Halifax Infirmary on Feb. 13. Hičo said a person with a significant spinal condition left the emergency department after waiting six hours. “I just don’t have space for them. I don’t have time for them,” he said, of similar situations. “They are just leaving and you know it’s awfully wrong, but there is nothing you can do.”