The Real Problems With Universal Healthcare In Canada

By Sonya Riley


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.

This is revealed in the reports showing the agony most of the patients goes through when accessing healthcare. These challenges that threaten to render the whole system unsustainable in the long run. There is a call to redesign the system in order to address the current weaknesses.

The major areas that paints a wrong picture in this health system includes wait time which ranks as the top concern, access and shortage of healthcare providers. In addition to these, other emerging issues such as environmental health challenges such as air and water pollutions are also becoming major areas of concern.

This situation forced the federal government to device a 10 year plan in 2005 to see the issue solved. As much as the current data is showing a decreasing trend in wait time, the issue still emerges as the top of the concern among the majority of the Canadian population.

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.

Canadian nurses on the other hands have their issues. They have put forward a demand that the number of nurses be increased. In addition to this, improvement in the quality of education and expansion to their working scope also falls in to the list of their concerns. Given the pivotal role these nurses play in health sector, their demands cannot be ignored.

The other challenges that face the Canadian health system include shortage in bed capacity in many provincial hospitals. Some patients have to seek for alternative means of treatment while others have to be released earlier than their scheduled time because of this issue. This problem is largely attributed to inadequate funding from the public resources.

All these challenges in addition to smaller ones like shortage of beds in wards in a significant numbers of public hospitals and the concern that budgetary allocation towards this health policy put a lot of strains in this the economy increases concerns as to whether this policy will be sustainable in the long run.

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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