medical establishment

I get so frustrated with the whole medical establishment sometimes. Today is one of those days. Luckily it is not a "frustration with the insurance industry" day. Those days are much worse. No, this is just a simple...why is it that when you need to see someone it almost always takes a month to get an appointment? Sometimes, you have to wait almost a month just to get the referral for the appointment, and then you call for the appointment and they tell you their next available appt. is 3 weeks away. I understand that there are many people who have health issues more important or more time sensitive than mine. I just get frustrated feeling like I'm getting the run-around. But they've got you between a rock and a hard place. They say their next appt. is 3 weeks away, and you can either say okay and accept the delay or you can say no-that is not acceptable, I need to see a doctor sooner and they tell you sorry, can't fit you in.

I recently heard about a relative of a co-worker who has been diagnosed with a fairly lethal form of colon cancer. Apparently this guy only has a 30% chance of not dying from the cancer. In my opinion, I would expect the doctors to jump on this issue and get down to business with treatment options etc. But no, this guy's next appointment to discuss treatment options is...guess when...3 weeks away! How deathly ill do you have to be to get medical attention in a timely manner?