Yep, we did have the waits, but the doctor and the price was worth it.
Now, what the family doctor used to do is farmed out to specialists. I am not sure if waiting at the family doctor wasn’t better than riding around to different specialists.
The good thing about back then is that doctors were very in tune with their patients and aware of family history.
The only stress we had in those days was worrying about the outcome of a test or diagnosis. Yes, the driving around - I do it for my mother - is dreadful.