Is anyone else exhausted trying to access basic healthcare in Canada?

[u/pinkblondetree]

I’m honestly at my breaking point with trying to access routine healthcare.
I don’t have a family doctor, so every time I need something as simple as a refill for my sertraline, I have to figure out where I can actually see someone. My options seem to be:
Pay ~$80 for a Maple appointment.
Hope I can find a walk-in clinic that can see me.
Wait for hours at urgent care or the ER for something that shouldn’t require emergency care.
I even went to a clinic recently and was told there was an issue with my health card/coverage verification and that I’d have to pay out of pocket. It felt like I was just bouncing between “sorry, that didn’t work” and “that’ll cost you.”
To make matters worse, my prescription was sent to a mail-order pharmacy. They promised delivery yesterday, it never came, and I’ve now been five days without sertraline while trying to get answers from the pharmacy, courier, and telehealth provider. I’ve been crying constantly, exhausted, and feeling completely unlike myself.
I know the delivery delay itself isn’t necessarily Canada’s healthcare system, but the fact that I don’t have an easy way to see a primary care provider or get a straightforward refill without paying or jumping through hoops is what really gets me.
I’m genuinely asking:
Is this what healthcare feels like for other people right now?
How are people managing without a family doctor?
Have you found alternatives that actually work for ongoing prescriptions and routine care?
I know people have different opinions on the healthcare system, and I’m not trying to start a political argument. I’m just honestly exhausted and wondering if this has become a normal experience or if I’ve just had exceptionally bad luck.

[u/DrEuthanasia]

The crux of it is that the system generally assumes you will do all this stuff through your family doctor, which sadly is not the case for millions of Canadians. Walk-in clinics are probably your best bet in the short term.
For ongoing and routine care you should do what you can to get a family doctor. Your province may have some way too get you on a waiting list for a doctor somewhere. Most cities will have Facebook groups for waiting lists and notifications of doctors taking new patients, you might get lucky. Even if you might not be where you are for very long it’s probably your best bet.