The recent publication by the Health Council of Canada put emphasis on the value Canadians put in their universal healthcare that is publicly funded. The report put the citizen satisfaction level very high and is said to reflect their pride as a society. The problems with universal healthcare in Canada still persisted as revealed by this report.
The publicly funded health system is facing major challenges that threaten to render it unsustainable in the long run. The major areas of concerns include the patient average wait time, the shortage of professional medical personnel and the increasing challenges of funding.
The average time a patient will wait for a doctor is very long as indicated by 59% of respondents in one survey who reveals that they take an average of four weeks before they can get to see the doctor. This situation is particularly common among those patients seeking specialized treatments in areas of sight restoration, diagnostic imaging scan, cardiac surgery and joint replacement.
Long Waiting Time. Survey after survey conducted on the Canadian healthcare and its challenges put waiting time at the top of their list of concerns. This is an area in which Canada scores very low as compared to many other nations despite the fact that the same country ranks highly when it comes to basic healthcare. A Commonwealth survey conducted in 2010 for instance put the percentage of patients waiting for specialists for a period of four weeks at 59% which is double that of United States.
The issue has been so persistent forcing the federal government to take measures with the aim of addressing it. The year 2005 for instance saw the federal government and the provincial hospitals draw a ten year plan that would see the significant reduction in the average wait time. The problem has not yet been fully solved almost 10 years later.
The Shortage of Doctors and other Medical Specialists. Canada has experienced brain drain in regards to medical professionals. Many health specialists have been crossing the border to United States where they earn much more as compared to their home country. This in turn has contributed to increase in doctor to patient ratio and is considered to be one of the major contributor to long waiting time. As much as the numbers of doctors immigrating to United States is relatively small, the impact such a migration leaves is heavily felt in the health sector.
Nurses on the other hand have continuously expressed their dissatisfaction as they want the number of nurses significantly increased. Improvement in nursing education and maximization of the scope of nursing practice also form parts of their demands. Such shortages in numbers of doctors and nurses only increases the wait time in public hospitals.
The Budget Constraints. Some surveys have concluded that Canadian health system is simply unsustainable. This is in reference to the continuous challenges the government is facing in financing the public health system. The impact is the shortages in bed space in hospital wards. The public insurance plan has also been unable to cover most of the supplementary services such as dental care where patients are forced to either use their own finances or opt for private covers including employer-sponsored plans.
This means that the most cherished national treasure in Canada is at stake and something must be done. As currently structured, administered and financed, this system will need a radical surgery in order to give the true value to Canadians.
The publicly funded health system is facing major challenges that threaten to render it unsustainable in the long run. The major areas of concerns include the patient average wait time, the shortage of professional medical personnel and the increasing challenges of funding.
The average time a patient will wait for a doctor is very long as indicated by 59% of respondents in one survey who reveals that they take an average of four weeks before they can get to see the doctor. This situation is particularly common among those patients seeking specialized treatments in areas of sight restoration, diagnostic imaging scan, cardiac surgery and joint replacement.
Long Waiting Time. Survey after survey conducted on the Canadian healthcare and its challenges put waiting time at the top of their list of concerns. This is an area in which Canada scores very low as compared to many other nations despite the fact that the same country ranks highly when it comes to basic healthcare. A Commonwealth survey conducted in 2010 for instance put the percentage of patients waiting for specialists for a period of four weeks at 59% which is double that of United States.
The issue has been so persistent forcing the federal government to take measures with the aim of addressing it. The year 2005 for instance saw the federal government and the provincial hospitals draw a ten year plan that would see the significant reduction in the average wait time. The problem has not yet been fully solved almost 10 years later.
The Shortage of Doctors and other Medical Specialists. Canada has experienced brain drain in regards to medical professionals. Many health specialists have been crossing the border to United States where they earn much more as compared to their home country. This in turn has contributed to increase in doctor to patient ratio and is considered to be one of the major contributor to long waiting time. As much as the numbers of doctors immigrating to United States is relatively small, the impact such a migration leaves is heavily felt in the health sector.
Nurses on the other hand have continuously expressed their dissatisfaction as they want the number of nurses significantly increased. Improvement in nursing education and maximization of the scope of nursing practice also form parts of their demands. Such shortages in numbers of doctors and nurses only increases the wait time in public hospitals.
The Budget Constraints. Some surveys have concluded that Canadian health system is simply unsustainable. This is in reference to the continuous challenges the government is facing in financing the public health system. The impact is the shortages in bed space in hospital wards. The public insurance plan has also been unable to cover most of the supplementary services such as dental care where patients are forced to either use their own finances or opt for private covers including employer-sponsored plans.
This means that the most cherished national treasure in Canada is at stake and something must be done. As currently structured, administered and financed, this system will need a radical surgery in order to give the true value to Canadians.
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