Double chocolate cranberry cookies

Clearing the airRe: QDoc patients in middle of billing dispute (Sept. 4)

QDoc has been fortunate to have a genuine partner in the Manitoba government over the past several years. Premier Wab Kinew and Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara have been consistently clear that no Manitoban should go without care because of where they live, and that commitment is exactly why virtual care exists as a permanent, publicly available option today. We built MediNav, the province’s online appointment booking system, together with Manitoba Health, and that same collaborative spirit has helped make more than 350,000 patient visits possible through our platform — many of them evenings, overnights and weekends, reaching rural and underserviced communities that need it most.

We want to be direct with the people who rely on us: QDoc is not going anywhere. We continue to see patients today, and we will keep doing so tomorrow. The issue reported this week is a technical billing matter, not a service disruption, and we are actively working with the province to resolve it quickly, so we can keep growing our capacity to serve Manitobans rather than limiting it.

We also want to take responsibility for our part in the recent confusion. Our Aug. 24 message to a small subset of our patients was meant to keep our community informed, but its tone left some people more worried than they needed to be, and for that we apologize. That was never our intention.

DEAR MISS LONELYHEARTS: I gave a big “present” to my husband this summer and it backfired royally.

My gift? He was free to work overtime without family concerns for the whole summer, to give the big boost to his business, which he needed badly. My newly-retired parents were happy to keep us at their cottage for the summer, and have the grandkids close to them. My dad stood in as the active on-site father figure, and he loved it! This was a break I know my husband never thought he was going to get, after marrying me and having kids right away.

I thought his work dream these days was to go from a medium to a major competitor in his building field! Summer is the biggest money-making time for him, so I really wanted to support him in that.

But a major shock was waiting for me at summer’s end! My husband wants to go back to university, first part-time and later full-time. And he needs me to go back to my career! Another shock? He’s already spoken to my parents behind my back!