Canadian Health Care System

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Introduction
Modifications to the Canadian health care system have been made over the years and will continue to be made in response to transformations in medicine and Canadian society. However, the fundamental aspect remains the same – universal coverage of medically necessary health care services delivered based on need, rather than the affordability. This scholarly paper will provide a brief overview of the structure and function of the Canadian health care system and how it is funded.
Canada’s health care system is often stated as being one of the best in the world. However, we still face many challenges going forward. One of the key issue discussed in this paper is access to primary and family health care and the challenges we face with …show more content…

In 2016, the number of doctor to patient ratio was just 2.3 per 1000 and even lower in Ontario with just 1.76 per 1000. By comparison, a report finds that countries like Germany and Switzerland have almost double the number of physicians per thousand people. despite record numbers of Canadian medical school graduates, Canadian residents still have a hard time finding a general practitioner. For example, 15% of British Columbia’s population have no family doctor. Another concern is physician demographics. The average age of a practicing family physician in Canada is 50.1, which is approaching the age of retirement. The considerable number of physicians retiring in the near future could have devastating impacts on primary health …show more content…

Making improved access to primary care a top priority also coincides with improving accessibility – one of the key standards of the Canada Health Act. Furthermore, it is highly supported by the public. Health Council of Canada reports that Canada ranks last in an international evaluation that examined how fast patients can access their family doctors. It is frustrating for patients that health care is not better integrated. Therefore, improving access to care is an important goal of the Canadian public, and thus translates to an important goal of the Canadian

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