A medical emergency is defined as "A medical emergency is a health condition or situation that…read moreneeds immediate medical attention." Immediate is defined as "occurring, acting, or accomplished without loss or interval of time." As Americans, we got to experience "Universal Healthcare". I brought my wife here while traveling in Victoria, BC while on holiday. She fell and was bleeding from the head. One look at her wound, I knew she needed stitches. Locals told us that the Royal Jubilee Hospital was the closest ER. We arrived at about 5PM to a full waiting room. Their website said the "wait time" to be seen was 7 hours and 30 minutes. They had all kinds of people waiting for "emergency treatment". I observed 5 people bleeding, including my wife. There were a few who had shortness of breath. A few who returned 2 days in a row because the ER couldn't take them the day before. There were also a few who seemed to have "anxiety issues". One guy even came in because of a toothache. The waiting room was a great place for socialization as most people waited so long that their cell phone died. Almost everyone in the waiting room were forced to talk to one another, except the 2 females with anxiety issues who needed their phones charged frequently by the ER staff. I met some good people in that waiting room thanks to my phone dying. The waiting was horrible even though we were able to meet some wonderful people. I don't understand the long wait. The people working there were great, which makes me confused even more as to why the long wait times for a hospital emergency room. Nothing seemed to be a medical emergency requiring immediate medical attention. My wife and I had some good interactions with the nurses, doctors and techs at the hospital. They made her stay the night and discharged her the next morning (17 hours). She officially stayed longer at the hospital than at our hotel or any of Victoria's tourist attractions. As an Emergency Room that is supposed to treat medical emergencies in a timely fashion, they fail. 6-7 hours of waiting just to be seen is ridiculous. As mentioned, the staff I interacted with were very good people. I took my wife to the ER in the USA for a follow-up, it took about an hour to be seen. We were out within four hours. If this is universal healthcare, we don't need it in the USA.

I was in the Royal Jubilee Hospital for knee replacement surgery in July. From the reception,…read morethrough pre-op, surgery, and then post-op, my care was excellent. The staff were as kind and considerate as they were competent and efficient. When I thanked one of my nurses when I was leaving she told me that they mostly hear complaints and that they rarely hear praise or get thanks. I was shocked by this. Our health serice is not perfect and it needs some improvements (especially staffing, job conditions, and emergency care). But there is so much to be grateful for - not the least the dedicated, hard working staff, at all levels, who do so much to help and comfort people who are ill and vulnerable

I love my family doctor..how many people can say that? Dr. Marlene Muller is super awesome and I…read morewas lucky enough to be taken on as a family patient when she first moved to Victoria. She does take her time with each patient so punctuality is not her strong suit but it helps to be very thorough especially in a place like Victoria where she has to deal with old, heavily medicated people on a daily basis. Very warm, caring and highly competent, like her husband who works in the clinic with her (except her husband is not as warm and caring!). Great staff, takes a bit of time for them to even remotely warm up to you but otherwise, they're highly efficient and get the job done. My rating is for the doc herself. Expect to wait longer at this place as it is quite a busy place (even with an appointment!). Plenty of metered street parking but because of the wait times, I suggest just take transit. It'll make the waiting a lot more pleasant because you don't have to keep looking over your shoulder to see if the evil parking police is ticketing you.

I highly recommend visiting Dr. Marlene Muller, if you are lucky enough to get in! She is…read morepersonable, kind, highly skilled and professional. I always feel seen and heard, and never brushed off. I have been seeing her for almost a decade and have never had a bad experience. Her husband Francois is also very good-quite a different and more traditional approach to Marlene. Both good doctors though if you are very nervous or anxious about going to the doctor, I'd recommend Marlene!

Long over due!! After 8 years of suffering from chronic SI joint pain, and with no lasting relief…read morefrom multiple specialists, including a NZ back specialist/surgeon, I found Dr. Sean Star initially for my son's treatment due to a skating knee injury. Dr Star's personalised and genuine care and expertise provided me with the long-term relief I had been long searching for. Dr. Star asked how the injury was caused, what treatment was recommended and then provided context about the injury, the time lapsed causing scaring and treatment plan. I thought he was rather optimistic. Not only did Dr. Star treat the pain effectively within the timeframe recommended, but also helped me to understand how to maintain lasting wellness. I can't recommend Dr. Star and Active Health & Wellness Clinic enough for anyone struggling with similar issues.

This clinic was recommended to me, and I have to say I have had nothing but positive and beneficial…read moreexperiences here. The staff are friendly and welcoming, and the practitioners are knowledgeable, professional and for me personally, very helpful with improving quality of life. Would not hesitate in recommending this clinic to anyone seeking Chiropractic, Registered Massage Therapy, or Acupuncture care.

I have taken my business to another practice and wouldn't recommend Vic West Dentistry to anyone…read more While the dentist himself seemed good, I can't say that about the office staff. The 1st problem was that they charged me $200 for 'sedation'. That's $200 for writing a prescription for Ativan and sticking a heart monitor on my thumb. I was not impressed. I was also on the mainland for a couple of months and wanted to pay by debit, so they had to wait for their $228. Upon my return, I settled up and apologized for the delay. After that I was informed by office staff that it was MY job to contact Canada Life to determine my coverage for each and every procedure. Of course they didn't give me an itemized list of the work, so I'm not sure how they expected me to do that. Nevertheless, if I didn't have a response from Canada Life by the time of the appointment (4 days away), I would need to give them a deposit of $650. At that point I pulled the plug. It was clear that they didn't want my business. When I called around to other dental clinics, they expressed surprise. Despite what Vic West claims, charging $200 for writing a prescription is NOT common practice and many dentists do it for free. On top of that, they ALL (including Vic West) have EFT systems directly linked to all the major insurance companies, so there's no need for the client to worry about getting estimates themselves. My new practice was able to connect with Canada Life while we were on the phone and tell me exactly what was covered. I think the office staff simply wanted to be rid of me. It worked and I can't thank them enough. I'm now with a great dentist who doesn't overcharge and the staff are more interested in providing service than playing stupid games.

So many good things to say where do l start. The office and team are super professional. In my case…read moreI had infected tooth and was in pain for a couple of days. After one call the office moved around a few appointments to fit me to see the surgeon the same day! Really helped me get out of a deep whole as l was travelling the next day. Highly recommended. Plus comfortable waiting room chairs and good music!

We are fairly new clients but our experience to date has been very positive. We have met two…read morecaregivers, both kind and capable. My husband finds their company stimulating and looks forward to their visits.

With so many companies offering quality senior care in Victoria, I don't know how this outfit keeps…read moregoing? Firstly, the marketing literature assures clients that staff have been thoroughly trained. I had two Home Care Workers, neither of whom had received ANY training since they joined the Company and each of them had been with the Agency for several months. Secondly, I was very unhappy to find out that Home Instead( Victoria) are one of the lowest paying Home Care Agencies in the City. Exploiting your workers is no way to run a business. It also means high staff turnover because the good Home Care Workers eventually figure out that they are underpaid and leave to join another Agency (which happened with my two Home Care Workers). The only ones who stay long-term are those that other Agencies won't employ.

I really struggle over leaving a review here, but not for the usual reasons. In this case it is…read morepurely selfish. The practitioners here are so good, that I don't want to have to compete with others for appointments. I have a number of issues I am dealing with and the staff here keep me on an even keel, so that I can maintain an active lifestyle. I recently had to see a practitioner at a different clinic when I couldn't get an appointment, and the experience there showed me just how good the practitioners here are. Three weeks of useless sessions at the other place made me appreciate Geometry all the more.

Thirty-three-year chiropractic patent, not a newbie. First time to see their Chiropractor this past…read moreSaturday. I will not be back during my stay here. She was not able to crack me: Only got one in my neck, nothing in the hips, and forgot my back completely. Absolutely hate drop tables. Chiropractors use those to make you think they cracked you. Then, she began a conversation about masks that was also not to my liking. Please keep your politics out of business conversations unless needed. You want to make a public stand so I know how to choose whether to become a customer-first, great. Otherwise, it is your job to find out why I need adjusting and then fix it properly. Stim plus heat, then adjust.

We checked last night to see what hours they are open and the web said 8:00. So we woke up early…read moreand got here at 7:20 to line up. Shortly after a woman came out and said that last night at 9:30 they decided to open today at 9:30. There was not even a note on the door. I asked if we could sign in now and come back and was told no. I know that for Canadian citizens medical care is cheap, but if this is acceptable I have to reconsider my admiration for their system.

I have experienced the best of medical care at Cook Street Clinic from an exceptionally fine and…read morehighly professional family care physician - Dr. James Felix. Dr. Felix takes his time to listen to my health issues, explains his recommended course of treatment and is also well versed in holistic medicine. For example, when having difficulties in sleeping, he recommended taking magnesium, an over the counter purchase at PharmaSave. This has worked very well for me. The office is extremely well run by skilled MOAs named Nesha and Maddison. They respond to emails within the hour and also in receiving and sending faxes. Nesha and Maddison are cheerful, highly accommodating to one's requests and most helpful with their clients. This clinic is the best run and most professional in all of Victoria. I highly recommend their services to all and sundry.

Neck and back issues. Dr. Parenteau's excellent care helped so much. I left the office without the…read morepain I'd walked in with. I'm planning monthly visits nowThanks Dr Parenteau

I've been to a few chiropractors in Victoria after having suffered several lower back injuries from…read moreoverexerting myself in badminton and I was pretty much convinced that they're all quacks. A crack here and there in a very expensive "chiropractic chair", all in less than 10 minutes and you're sent out the door to pay your customary amount. I've worked out that these chiropractors pretty much make a fine $30-$40 every 15 minutes or so, with the way they try to churn patients out the door like in a factory line. Until Dr. P. I had the misfortune of being in a car accident in late February 2010 with a somewhat debilitating neck injury and my GP suggested going to see a chiropractor in tandem with a physiotherapist. One of our friends suggested Victoria Exercise and Rehabilitation Centre, where Dr. P is housed. He completely proved me wrong and proceeded to be the most amiable, knowledgeable and effective chiropractor ever. The guy explained the injury, treatments available, billing and post-care stuff so well that you will feel like he pretty much anticipated and answered all your questions. He does a very thorough job from check up down to your last treatment which results in a very effective and continual healing process. The 3-4 months worth of treatments with Dr. P. gave me a solid foundation to build on and I'm pretty much back to full mobility now thanks to him and the physio staff there. My progression was very much in line with the expected time of recovery for my sort of injury (about 12 months) but I'd say I was feeling back at 100% by the 7 month. Bonus is, he's also very up-to-date and modern; you can find him on Facebook and Youtube I believe, in addition to the monthly or so newsletters he sends out to his patients. The key thing to remember is that chiropractors are not miracle workers. You actually have to do your part too. If you constantly go to your chiropractor, GP or whatever and whine about how your back kills you but you over eat and don't ever really work on your core or bother exercising, they can't cure you. The important thing is to respect your body's ability to heal but at the same time, push yourself too because a can-do mental attitude goes hand in hand with physical healing. I tried to convince Dr. P. to move to Port Moody but no dice right now, which means I have to trek back to the island for treatments.