The Casualties of the Canadian Public Health Care System

I recently came across an article on Macleans.ca entitled “Our Health Care Delusion” (dated January 2011) that told the story of a 41 year-old man from West Kelowna, B.C. who, in the throes of a mental breakdown, smashed through the Emergency Unit of Kelowna General Hospital with his Chevy Blazer after waiting 90 minutes to see a doctor. Apparently, he had been advised it would be a 45 minute wait which, in truth, isn’t a long waiting time compared to today’s emergency room standards. He snapped when his threats to drive his truck into the hospital if he didn’t get treatment were dismissed by hospital staff.

Liberal MP and medical doctor Keith Martin said “the sorry state of the nation’s emergency wards is just one indicator of trouble today and trouble to come.” Martin, a former family and emergency room doctor, experienced dire situations that eventually prompted him to change professions and go into politics. He said most patients have to endure long wait times for hip and knee replacement surgeries, and others have to live with tumours that could grow into inoperable sizes while waiting months for diagnostic scans. Martin pointed out that, “those are the casualties of our health care system, and the casualties of the inaction of modernizing the system, that people don’t talk about.”

In 2014, Canadian health care will have to deal with the expiration of a 10-year health accord among the federal government, provinces, and territories.  The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) believes that changes to the Canada Health Act should include that Canadians pay small fees or deductibles for using health services in order to discourage people from overusing the system as most other OECD countries do.

Find out what your type of health coverage your province offers.

The Lack of Family Doctors in Canada: Millions are Going Without!

Are you one of the 4.6 million Canadians who don't currently have a family doctor? Well, the fact is this: 15 percent of Canadians are without family doctors, which causes overcrowded hospital emergency rooms, which translates into very long wait times, and results in much frustration and general dissatisfaction.  

If there is such a demand for family doctors, then why aren't more medical students motivated to practice family medicine?  The UBC Family Medicine Registry is eager to rectify the situation with a new program on the North Shore called Coastal Family Practice Residency. Its purpose is to hopefully entice students into family or general practice.

According to The Society of Rural Physicians of Canada, towns, with a population of under 10,000, account for about 22 percent of the nation's population but are served by approximately 10 percent of physicians. 

The College of  Family Physicians of Canada states, "More than 90 percent of Canadians indicate that a family physician is the first person they would turn to in order to address their medical problems" and, "on average one additional family physician per 10,000 people is associated with 5.3 percent reduction in mortality."

Demographics seem to factor into the decline of family physicians as a large number of health professionals will be retiring in the next 10 years.  The Canadian Medical Association reported in 2014 that out of the 38,000 physicians practicing family or general medicine, 41 percent are 55 years of age or older. Such statistics should appeal to the up and coming doctors, and make them keen to explore the incentives associated with the practice of Family Medicine.

Incentives: 

Let’s take Nova Scotia for example. This province offers the following incentives for practicing family medicine in the rural communities.  

• Relocation allowance of $5,000 to cover moving expenses such as airfare, car rental, accommodations and such.
• A bursary of $60,000 for establishing a practice in a rural Nova Scotia community.
• Eligibility to receive debt assistance between $20,000 and $40,000 for up to 3 years.

Medical students, who are uncertain as to which area of medicine to choose, would be wise to examine the particular needs of Canadians as well as the various incentives being offered by the provinces before making a decision.

Consider yourself a fortunate Canadian if you have a family doctor. And, should you find it necessary to seek medical care elsewhere, at some point in time, supplemental health insurance can be significantly valuable when health services are not so readily available.

According to Statistics Canada, in 2013 more than 15 per cent of Canadians or approximately 4.6 million people reported they did not have a regular medical doctor. - See more at: http://www.nsnews.com/news/family-first-1.1316489#sthash.z95U37CD.dpuf