Canada’s health-care crisis: Problems, solutions and privatization

In the face of a health-care crisis, Adrienne Arsenault brings together patients and health-care workers with different perspectives to discuss the problems, potential solutions and whether there’s a role for more privatization.
#Canada #Healthcare #PublicHealth
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The National is the flagship of CBC News, showcasing award-winning journalism from across Canada and around the world. Led by Chief Correspondent Adrienne Arsenault and Ian Hanomansing, our team of trusted reporters help you make sense of the world, wherever you are. The National was named Canada’s Best National Newscast by the Canadian Screen Awards and RTDNA Canada.

[@thegreatlemmon7487]

As a front like health worker. All I can say it's not a system that people should look into in right now. The world load on average is up 300%. But you only make a dollar more. Its not fair at all and people are leaving in waves. Not to mention all the red tape thanks to covid that we have to jump around. I'm asking that front line health workers get fair pay. The minimum wage for such a stressful job should be 28$ to 30$ minimum. The fact that people work this job and get paid 18$ a hour is nuts. We are the last stand for people wellness and life. If you cant see why the health of yourself and people around you is important then why have health care at all.

[@linlena901]

My nephew, a talented Canadian did not get offers from all Canadian Med schools and received offers from an Australia University. He accepted it and start his study aboard. The big picture is a couple of years later, he might stay in Australia instead of back to Canada. Canada loses the talent future doc.

[@checkfactschecking]

What determines eligibility is a person's relative intelligence. If universities can fill their classrooms with high school graduates having 90% or higher, why would they take an 80% average student over one of them? All you've shown is that Australia has less competition.

[@vaseline9169]

@@checkfactschecking its not just like that though. The canadian schools themselves are at a loss about how to select students. a few years ago we got an email saying that they couldnt decide between candidates and are just going to do a lottery. the point is to stop gate keeping the profession. but also, i will say, that the doctors are also not being totally honest about things either. lower pay for doctors needs to happen so we hire more. but privtizatrion doesnt fix this.

[@rachelk8368]

Health plans from employers should include kin visits/ exercise plans and diet plans to help prevent issues. We also need to increase mental health supports. We also need to have a healthy economy where housing isn't 80% of one's paycheck

[@abertj.7365]

There's no health care in Canada!!! Finding a family doctor or walk-in clinic is impossible!!! This country became a disaster and nightmare!!! one has to go to a hospital emergency and wait for 5 hours to see a doctor for a minor or any problem. What kind of country is that?

[@evatudor8318]

When you have private clinics ,the doctors will be leaving the public care system for more money to the private care.This happened in Romania now.This should never be allowed, it's coruption in health care,believe me I felt it and it's scary

[@xiangli1539]

Do u know canadian can easily work in US？ do want want US ban private clinic as well?

[@drydz8670]

@@xiangli1539 US has a different healthcare system. You realize that if you dont have a good HMO in some states and you get sick, then you might as well just stay home. Because just being in ER will cost you thousands of dollars just for bloodwork alone.

[@andrewzonneveld1129]

So you’re pro slavery? Slavery to the govt

[@lynns3868]

Preventative care is the key to this, specifically for mental health. If mental health care was prioritized it would lead to better physical health. People who have addictions/eats poorly/doesn't exercise are not going to be able to change those things without mental health care. And anyone that has those issues is dealing with some sort of mental health issue. It needs to be tailored to the individual. If someone needs individual, one-one-one, in-person appointments because they need to deal with unresolved trauma, that needs to happen. And then have groups or online therapy for people who prefer that.

[@babybunnies]

preventative care does not exist as health care is for acute care and fix the rest on your own. Preventative care may end up costing more as there may be a possibily less $$$$ to be made. Also, the fact is that there is no such thing as mental health prevention as the world is crazy and you cant prevent mental changes to change in this world unless you live in the dry desert land away from westernized world. Peoples needs are much more complex and costly as it is lifelong struggle and not a quick fix. Your simple solution will have a minor effect for the long haul.

[@Hubcool367]

​@@babybunniesI will agree with you that there is, overall, not really such a thing as preventing mental health problems because as you say, "the world is crazy". While trying prevention at the individual might sometimes work, our whole system is just made to produce mass mental illness. You won't "prevent" mental illness unless you change the conditions which make mental illness inevitable, and those conditions are the way our whole society works. However, I hope I'm misunderstanding you, but it sounds like you're against preventative care. I fundamentally disagree with that, I do think that "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure". Is health care right now mostly focused on acute and chronic care, reaction rather than prevention, like most of the rest of society handles problems? Sure. Does that mean it shouldn't or can't switch to a focus on prevention instead? I think it can and it should. I don't understand the point of "end up costing more because there is less money to be made". This might be a problem with private healthcare, where the goal isn't to make you healthy but to take as much money from you as possible. But with public healthcare, less costly prevention would mean more money can stay in our pockets or more money for other stuff. It's a no-brainer to me.

[@drbajaj832]

Canada has to move out from slumber and improve their system. Why not allow foreign qualified doctors to start thier own clinic - even walk in clinic will improve and serious patients can be tackled in the hospital . Give temporaty work permit to International medical graduates with say 10 years or more experience a chance . Canadian licentiate authority can verify the degrees before granting them visas.

[@Sarcasticron]

It's very common for patients to be left in debilitating pain for a decade, depending on social assistance, when they could have been working that whole time. Their doctors just ignore their pain and diagnose them as exaggerating. I've discovered that there's a huge industry in India selling medications to Canadians who've been left in terrible pain by the healthcare system. Most people addicted to street drugs are self-medicating for problems their doctors ignore. By cutting healthcare services and making doctors spend so much time doing paperwork, the government is wasting huge amounts of taxpayer money, and literally torturing and killing people. Years ago, the UN told the Canadian government that leaving patients in pain is the same as torture, but since then they've only made the problem worse. Politicians should be held accountable for the people they torture and kill.

[@user-kc4vi6fj3y]

I am one of those people living in hell with RA and not getting any treatment for it,

[@ownrhythm6536]

I have a family doctor now, went 20 years without one, but still had great service the very few times I needed treatment throughout that with walk in clinics and ER. Throughout my 50 years experience with our publicly funded health care, I would give it high praise. If all the people complaining about our health care system actually cared about their own health a little more, we wouldn't see such a burden to the system. With about 1/3 of Canadians obese or overweight, and only 1/2 getting the recommended amount of physical activity, it's time to ask if we deserve free health care? Do we not bear some responsibility for our own health anymore? What happens when/if these percentages get worse and unattainable? Everyone talks about increasing mental health needs, but the fact is that mental health cannot be fixed like a broken leg. Someone in mental crisis can have the best care but there is no guarantee their condition will improve, even after months or years of treatment. If we hold the government accountable for our mental health outcomes we are surely to be disappointed no matter how much money we spend. Exercise is probably one of the most effective means to better our mental health, but a doctor can't do it for us or prescribe a pill to replace it. Your health care starts with you, not the doctor!

[@user-rd8mx4en6f]

Thank you for the video, really helpful to complete my research.

[@paulharrold]

No government run system will be as efficient as a private enterprise .

[@kulutz9565]

Very good conversation

[@christopherspavins9250]

To save social medicine, take out the sugar and corn syrup in the food supply. The doctor is right, preventing disease is the best medicine.

[@mury8mur]

All Health care Sistem are Changed Changed Changed all over the Our Planet for Healthy, Healthy Minded,Helthy Lifestyle All Good for Good People❤❤❤

[@trk6499]

In such discussions a Pharmacist should also be included in the panel. With expertise in medication, side effects etc. the Pharmacist can significantly reduce the burden of the physician and improve efficiency of the medical system in Canada.

[@Tribuneoftheplebs]

Alberta has a waiting list for ER within the province. 😎

[@Aces77777]

The real problem is that they give themselves jobs in administration slacking off in the offices rather than working in the front lines where they are really really needed!!!!

[@xiangli1539]

How about we let the rich people paying private hospital in some big cities. And then we TAX the private hospital, So we could use the tax to subsidize public health sector. Not like right now, everyone is struggling to see a doctor. Rich people will spend their money in US hospital anyway, why not let their money stay in canada? and create a tax income for public health.

[@yfvbmj]

How do you let rich peoples money stay in Canada. There are less Canadian companies than US Companies in Canada. The private hospitals are already being taxed. So if you tax them more they will pack up and leave, taking all the jobs with them.

[@everydayfun9531]

How about encourage the rich people to build more hospitals in return of less taxation huh??

[@junevandermark952]

If we think our health care is lacking now, imagine what our predecessors felt about going to a hospital for an operation. From the book VITAL ORGANS … A HISTORY OF THE WORLD’S MOST FAMOUS BODY PARTS … author Suzie Edge Dying after an operation was so common it even had a name: hospitalism.

[@user-td4di8bd9p]

Dieing from denied care by so called doctors. How many more are there? Or decide to go to MAID cause no one will help.

[@mdbalkissoon364]

What is the national plan for Canada to be disease free and enjoy good health? Why do we keep barking up the wrong tree for decades?

[@grantbablitz9835]

Racism and greed in the Alberta Health Services was the reason my son's mother did not get treatment in time to save her life.

[@everydayfun9531]

There needs to be private healthcare available its absurd we have to suffer under one system.

[@cecigalvis2108]

I've been on both sides: as a health care practitioner and as a patient in Canada: in both of them I've experience burden. As a health care worker I decided to leave patient care due to burn out and no health care benefits at all (isn't this paradoxical???). As a patient: I've been left at ER waiting for hours with no solution, also waiting for a referral from my GP and a phone call to get the appointment. There are practitioners, but no investment. Hospitals are not receiving the budget to hire more staff which causes more pressure on those who are already in the field. On the other side, there is a backlog of internationally trained practitioners and new graduates waiting to be licensed (dealing with complicated administrative processess and fees). It looks to me that at some point intentionally, politicians and the media want to "convince" people that there are not enough practitioners (which is partially right, but not completely) just to systematically force people to acquire private insurances or seeking help in private clinics. I do not swallow the entire story of the "shortages"

[@KJSvitko]

Even children today have signs of artery disease. Fast foods and sugary drinks have long term consequences. There is an obesity epidemic today where over 60% of the population is overweight or obese. What is common today and "NORMAL" is not healthy. The average person today is not healthy and is taking medications. Heart attacks were once only common in people over 65. Today people in their 40 are having heart attacks. Add more plants and vegetables to your diet and less junk and overly processed foods

[@jonathansmith3031]

This is a big problem and there is certainly a lack of personal accountability these days.

[@jeanouderkirk3045]

I agree with the Dr and the economist. They obviously understand what the problems are suggesting a good system to work towards.

[@maranorth]

Yes, they seem to really know what they are talking about!

[@bellecolter844]

No private healthcare! I’ve lived over a decade in the U.S. and we had top of the line insurance and it still was an overpriced, out of pocket, nightmare. Waiting months for a specialist, hours and hours in the ER, no in network specialists and paying $2000 a month for insulin while we pay $$$$ for the insurance. It’s the leading cause of bankruptcy in the US for crying out loud. There’s this huge fallacy healthcare is so much better when in reality, like with most things in the states, is nothing more then puffed up propaganda. What’s been going on here in Canada since I left has certainly not improved the system, I shake my head at what’s gone on, but that’s the fault of every provincial government and the federal! Enough is enough with the politicians lining their pockets and spending our tax dollars on everything Canadians don’t need, and high time we take back the power and have them do the jobs WE pay them to do. Private healthcare is not the way to go at all, we need to look at Norway, Germany and the other top universal healthcare systems, not the one south of the border who allows the insurance companies to dictate what you get, and not your doctor. Canada has enough wealth to have true universal healthcare including prescriptions, vision, physio, mental and dental. Enough already with the sad sac politicians spending millions and billions of our money while loads of us don’t have the medical care we need.

[@newjeansluvr]

I feel like privatisation isn't all that bad. The way the U.S. does it is wrong, but some countries like Scandinavian ones that have a mix of both have great healthcare. I think the idea of adding a private healthcare system to get rid of the burden for our public health system isn't all that bad. In that way, it's possible for us to rely on more providers while being treated faster. Albeit the lack of staff is another problem, privatisation would likely also improve our economy.

[@TP-yw6hj]

Canada's public healthcare system is being purposely collapsed by the Conservative premiers of provinces. The federal governemnt funding that is given to the provinces for healthcare is not being spent on healthcare by the conservative provincial governments. And it's not just the conservative provincial governments that are privatizing heatlhcare in back room deals, some of the people in the administrations for hospitals and management in pubich heatlh agencies are pushing for privatization of Canadian public heatlhcare. It will be a long tedious fight with many patients suffering and dying but eventually the people who control heatlhcare will privatize like the USA did. Unless that is Canada call for a general country wide strike to improve Canadian public healthcare. The only ones trying to keep publich healthcare strong in Canada right now are the voters and especially the front line healthcare workers- nurses, NP's, PSW's, doctors, specialists, surgeons and all the healthcare workers doing the actual healthcare. Canada is not the same country it was and everyday it is becoming more and more ruthless like the USA. Canadians are not nice anymore and they are not happy because life has become unaffordable in all ways. It's terrible to see a once great country going down in flames.

[@olene184]

what's good for the individual does not need to be bad for the system... there are many successful universal health care systems around the world that introduce publically funded private care if public system can't fulfill timelines that adds a much needed sense of competition.. don't even need to invent. the wheel on that one... but instead we like spending money on debate, running analytics and politics

[@sustainablelivingnl773]

Eighty percent of chronic disease could be prevented if people could be convinced to eat a whole food plant based diet. Just think of the heavy load that could be lifted off the medical care system. Just something to think about.

[@trainsandplanes8304]

Citation please. Little to no people know where the fact is from.

[@zshn]

If govt. can't provide access to health care within a reasonable time frame, the patient should be allowed to access private healthcare. Canada needs to allow private healthcare to solve its backlog. People have died waiting on the wait list. Shame on politicians advocating against it. Canadian healthcare is used an example of how not to do healthcare in the rest of the world. Shame on you.

[@Belgianperspective]

Canada is becoming worse every day anyway!!! Salary are low (while cost of living is skyrocketing), which is why we have so many Canadians and immigrants who are becoming so anxious, depressed and facing all sorts of mental problems), people are moody, quality of life is decreasing and transport is trash compared to France and the lack for doctors is making this country look like a third world Economy!!! Even Canadians are happy to leave this place and honestly, we think of leaving it too for another country.. that you can trust me! (My 2 younger sisters are actually leaving and makes plans to leave Canada behind for good to immigrate elsewhere and my older brother plans to relocate to a warmer country. .. and NO!! I am not going to buy a 1 million dollar house in Vancouver at the expense of my well being!!! It ain’t worth it no more!!! Better buy in Europe.. like France or Portugal!!!!

[@jenniferswan222]

What about using a.i. to aide health care workers? Train it to help diagnose and also help to keep track of symptoms, vitals and medications. To also help not to mix meds or to remind workers what meds are needed etc. There so many things it could help with. 😊

[@luismarin3668]

I feel like it’s easier said than done BUT I’d like to see someone give it a shot and apply it in reality to see how it fairs

[@everydayfun9531]

AI needs to be implemented in the health care industry and cut down wait times...

[@jonathansmith3031]

It's a sad commentary on our society when waiting in a queue for health care seems to have become part of our national identity.

[@andrewzonneveld1129]

What a joke. Why do Canadians love to have their govt fix their simple problems?

[@NousPoetikos]

Liberalize the healthcare system. End all restrictions. Recognize the moral right of each individual to transact with any other individual on their own terms at whatever profit level is necessary to provide a good or service. Your life is not a claim on my own. We are not sacrificial animals. Socialized medicine is anti-human and evil.

[@ADHD55]

Canadians are travelling to to other countries for basic healthcare

[@Paddy.Millkey]

We’ll what a nice woke group this is. Sponsored by wokeism CBC.

[@rupasandhu6061]

Healthcare is a business, needs to be run by efficient business people and not by politicians. Politicians can regulate. The current problem is that politicians take more for themselves than business people take profits.

[@danicad.3278]

Who are these people? Was this filmed in the San Fernando Valley? Are they paid actors? Weird vibe. Canada is done.

[@PrinceZ2510]

Carer & Nurse in it for themselves - give me more status & $. Doctor and patient actually putting patients first - trying to change things. The final one all about removing the individual and ensuring that everyone suffers/ get the minimum level of coverage removing any competition - like it or die… systems doomed