It's a little different over here ... how fast you get an ambulance, and what kind of ambulance it is, depends on where you live. There are thousands of communities that don't have a hospital, and many without highway access. Most of us live within a couple of hundred klicks of the US border; but this is still a country of small communities where ambulances are R.C.A.F. helicopters, or maybe planes with skis or floats on them, depending on the time of year. But wherever you are, the emergency services do their best to get to you. In Kingston we are lucky. Ambulances arrive quickly ... and if there is no ambulance available, and the emergency is dire, many fire fighters are trained paramedics, and a big red fire truck may show up at your home. Also, ambulance service isn't free. There is a nominal charge ... $45.00 I think ... of course, those who can't afford it, pensioners, and those on government assistance don't have to pay a dime. Also, if, in the opinion of the ER physician, an ambulance was not necessary, you get stuck with a big bill. In my humble opinion, this is not a bad idea. People who are not residents of Ontario are billed for the ambulance either directly, or, OHIP will bill the Province you reside in. Health care in Canada is a provincial responsibility (British North America Act, 1867
). Furriners, like youse guys, pay the full shot. But no one is turned away, and everyone gets help, 'cause us Canucks are nice folk, eh
Bottom line is: the service is great ... and if you can't be transported to the care you need, the care will come to you. I remember that a few years back there was a sick premature baby at KGH who needed the kind of care that only Sick Kids Hospital in TO could provide. A surgical team with all their equipment was flown into Kingston.
I know this is kind of a ramble, but some of you might be interested in how things are done over here where climate and geography are important considerations.