For decades, Canada’s healthcare system had a mythological hold on the Canadian psyche. The idea that we enjoyed the best healthcare in the world was unassailable.
In recent years, however, some chinks have been showing up in the armour. In fact, we lag behind many other industrialized democracies in terms of waiting times; access to the latest technologies; access to physicians, paraprofessionals and specialists; and coverage of health services beyond hospital and physician
care, including medication.
It is precisely because of the system’s iconic status in the national zeitgeist that it has been so difficult to fix. The traditional response to gaps has been to throw more money at it to the point healthcare makes up nearly half of provincial government expenditures. Of course, there are many reasons for rising costs from the demographics of the population to more and better treatments and technologies.
Nevertheless, as the cost of the system continues to grow, it will simply become unsustainable.
This is a perennial issue in elections at all levels of government. So far, it has not been front and centre in the current federal election, but undoubtedly it will become so particularly as the parties flesh out their economic plans as healthcare transfers to the provinces play a big role in federal budgets as well.
On Monday, the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) and the Council of Canadians brought a town hall meeting to Yorkton to raise awareness of the issues for the local election campaign.
Pretty much everybody, including these two organizations, agrees the system needs reform. How this should be done goes well beyond the scope of this editorial, but we must be cautious of not throwing out the baby with the bathwater.
The town hall reminded us that the Canadian healthcare system was founded right here in Saskatchewan on the very sound principles of universality and equity of access. In practice, it might be impossible to live up perfectly to these moral imperatives.
In a free country, you cannot force healthcare professionals to go to the places they are needed. And budgetary constraints mean every town and city cannot have every kind of service and technology.
Nevertheless, we must strive to uphold the principle of equitable healthcare for every man, woman and child in this country as we struggle with the logistics of reform.
