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.
The challenge is particularly worse when it come to diseases that are classified as acute and requires specialized attention. Heart diseases, cancer, joint replacement, sight restoration and diagnostic imaging are some of the areas where Canada scores poorly in terms of waiting period before seeing a doctor.
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 are also not happy. They have put up demands which include an increase in numbers of nurses, better education and maximization of the scope of practice. Such concerns cannot be ignored as they play crucial role in success of this universal health system.
The government directs a huge portion of the budget into funding of the public healthcare. The strain has seen the national insurance failing to cover some supplemental benefits such as dental care. This means that the patients have to turn to private sources for treatments in such areas.
Despite these shortcomings, many Canadians still value their health system very much and would prefer that the problems with universal healthcare in Canada are addressed rather than the whole system being shut down. Those in favor of the radical measures in correcting the system are still the majority according to a poll conducted in 2007 by Queens University Kingston, Ontario.
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.
The challenge is particularly worse when it come to diseases that are classified as acute and requires specialized attention. Heart diseases, cancer, joint replacement, sight restoration and diagnostic imaging are some of the areas where Canada scores poorly in terms of waiting period before seeing a doctor.
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 are also not happy. They have put up demands which include an increase in numbers of nurses, better education and maximization of the scope of practice. Such concerns cannot be ignored as they play crucial role in success of this universal health system.
The government directs a huge portion of the budget into funding of the public healthcare. The strain has seen the national insurance failing to cover some supplemental benefits such as dental care. This means that the patients have to turn to private sources for treatments in such areas.
Despite these shortcomings, many Canadians still value their health system very much and would prefer that the problems with universal healthcare in Canada are addressed rather than the whole system being shut down. Those in favor of the radical measures in correcting the system are still the majority according to a poll conducted in 2007 by Queens University Kingston, Ontario.
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