Well, what you wrote doesn't surprise me. I know when I had recurrent sinus infections last November, I was referred to an ENT for a "fast track" appointment ... six weeks later, LOL!
It's sad, really, because people have just grown to accept it.
The talk show host up here has pointed out that the only other country in the world besides Canada that doesn't allow some sort of private system along with its public system is Cuba.
Add North Korea. We're in great company.
That sort of confirms what the cruise ship doctor told me, doesn't it?
I gathered that the habit of taking off a month or two at the end of the year is a common practice that isn't made clear to Canadian citizens. It might make them unhappy.