The Fraser Institute’s 2011 report on wait times for healthcare in Canada concluded that Canadians waited approximately 19 weeks to receive treatment from a medical specialist. This is due to the mass shortage of doctors in the country. The report found that Canada had an average of 2.3 doctors for every 1,000 people. In Canada, trained doctors leave the country and practice medicine in the US, where private healthcare is more prevalent. Heavy patient loads, long hours, and overcrowded hospitals can make it challenging for a doctor to provide quality care. Waiting too long to receive treatment and lack of quality care can have serious effects on patients. Not only will their medical condition deteriorate, but an ample amount of financial pressure is also added to the family, as the person may not be able to work. This is intolerable and we need to speed up the treatment and ensure quality care is available for every patient by enforcing an option of private care for those who can afford to pay and get faster …show more content…
However, about 30 percent of Canadians have to pay for medical services such as prescription drugs, private hospital rooms, ambulance, optometry, dentistry, and visits to certain specialist. Allowing private healthcare to operate in parallel with publicly funded universal healthcare systems will give choice to Canadians. Those who can afford do not have to wait in lines and can receive quicker treatment with private clinics and hospitals. This will balance out the Private Sector and Public Sector, which will provide everyone with the health care need and deserve. Thus, this system gives a win-win situation for the people who cannot afford the private clinic, and instead visit public clinics and hospitals, where the wait times would be decreased due to the implementation of private