That sounds utterly awful, and you highlight something I only touched on in the article: staff shortages in the ER. Wait times in your case are an example of a systemic problem, not the fault of the overworked doctors and nurses (I think it’s really important to acknowledge that). Related problem I didn’t delve into is general practitioners and specialists outside the ER retiring early or just quitting due to the compex healthcare system and/or the stress of providing care amid all these problems plus a pandemic. A friend of mine the other day said her primary doctor and two of her specialist providers recently quit, leaving her, well, who knows what she’ll do.