The Underlying Problems With Universal Healthcare In Canada

By Sonya Riley


Canada has scored very well particularly in the basic healthcare system which has seen prevention of costly hospital admissions resulting from chronic conditions such as uncontrolled diabetes and asthma. The survival rate of those diagnosed with breast cancer and other cancers is also higher among the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries as revealed by World Health Organization. This in addition to the surveys that put the Canadian satisfaction rate with the public health policy at 85% paints a picture of a highly valued health system. The problems with universal healthcare in Canada are however revealed with many studies done on this system.

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 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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