Unnecessary tests for H1N1 are swamping the system, the province’s chief medical officer said yesterday.
Dr. Robert Strang appealed for people to stop going for swine flu tests when they become sick with flu-like symptoms, adding it’s unnecessary because treatment is the same as normal flu.
“If you’re just out in the community going to a doctor’s office or a walk-in clinic, don’t go there just to get a test for H1N1,” Strang said. “That’s an inappropriate use of the health-care system.
“We need to save our H1N1 testing capacity for people who are severely ill and hospitalized.”
He also said employers need to stop requiring sick notes or doctor’s notes showing an employee is healthy before they can return to work after an illness.
“We have a health care system that needs to address serious issues,” he said. “We do not have the capacity to have a lot of people who are well going into doctor’s offices just to get a sick note.”
