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Essay on canada health act 1984
Healthcare around the world compared
Compare health systems of various countries
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Symbaluk and Bereska (2013/2016) define conflict theory as a macro level with a conflict view that takes a critical approach that emphasizes power and emancipation. Conflict and competition over scarce resources characterize conflict perspective which comprises the minority number of individuals to be dominant in power and the majority number of individuals to be powerless and at the bottom (Symbaluk & Bereska, 2013/2016, p. 12). This social phenomena is evident in healthcare field. The socio-economic status of individuals affects the quality of health and the quality of healthcare they receive. Inequalities in access to quality healthcare services affect powerless individuals because of limited resources. Obstacles in access to quality healthcare …show more content…
Because of poverty, many people have limited access to quality healthcare because poor people are viewed as a disadvantage in the society. The distinction between the rich and the poor in access to quality healthcare is evidence that conflict theory is what the actual practice of the society. In this paper, it will be discuss to what extent that poverty affects individuals to have limit access to quality healthcare services? Inadequate Health Insurance and High Cost of Health Services Symbaluk and Bereska (2013/2016) indicate that conflict theory analyze the role of inequality in patterns of health and illness, problems with the healthcare. Because of social inequality and relations of power, the poor become a disadvantage and receive inadequate healthcare and have poorer health (Symbaluk and Bereska, 2013/2016, p. 278). This is evident in the level of health insurance coverage. In Canada, all citizens and permanent residents have health insurance coverage paid through taxes. Each province and territory has their own insurance coverage but has limited access to all healthcare services. Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan (AHCIP, 2017) doesn’t include prescription …show more content…
89). Canada Health Act (1984) policy states that Canadian health care policy is “to protect, promote and restore the physical and mental well-being” of eligible residents of Canada which guarantees the universal access to medically necessary healthcare and hospital services. In conflict perspective, quality healthcare services only applies to people that have money and power. In a study by Shah, Gunraj and Hux (2003) in Ontario, aboriginal people have higher hospital ambulatory care--sensitive (ACS) conditions rates compare to the general population but lower utilization of referral care--sensitive (RCS) procedures. This trend is in contrast to the primary objective of the Canada Health Act which is to protect, promote and restore physical and mental well-being of Canadian residents. Ideally, the high rate of ACS would have mean high utilization of RCS to meet the objective of the Canada Health Act. Shah, Gunraj and Hux (2003) argued that the high ACS hospitalization rate and reduced RCS procedure utilization rate suggest that northern Ontario's aboriginal residents have insufficient or ineffective primary care access due to both isolation and poverty. Because people in low socioeconomic status are viewed as disadvantage to the society, inequality in access to quality healthcare services become
The health care system in Canada today is a combination of sources which depends on the services and the person being treated. 97% of Canadians are covered by Medicare which covers hospital and physician services. Medicare is funded at a governmental and provincial level. People of First Nation and Inuit descent are covered by the federal government. Members of the armed forces, veterans, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police are also covered by the federal government. Several services such as dental care, residential care, and pharmaceutical are not covered. The 13 provinces have different approaches to health care; therefore, it is often said that Canada has 13 healthcare systems (Johnson & Stoskopf, 2010). The access to advanced medical technology and treatment, the cost of healthcare, and the overall health of Canadians fares well in comparison with other countries such as the United States.
Healthcare systems are microcosms of the larger society in which they exist. Where there is structural violence or cultural violence in the larger society, so will there be evidence of systematic inequities in the institutions of these societies. The healthcare system in Australia is one example—from a plethora of similarly situated healthcare systems—in which the color of a patient’s skin or the race of his parents may determine the quality of medical received. Life expectancy and infant mortality rates are vastly different for non-Aboriginal, Aboriginal, and Torres Strait Islanders residing in Australia. The life expectancy of Aboriginal men is 21 years shorter than for non-Aboriginal men in Australia. For women, the difference is 19 years. The infant mortality rate of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander male infants is 6.8% and the infant mortality rate for female infants is 6.7%. For non-Aboriginal infants, the infant mortality rates are 1% for male infants and 0.8% for female infants. Further, the Aboriginal population is subject to a wide-range of diseases that do not exhibit comparatively high incidence rates in non-Aboriginal Australians.
The Saskatchewan heath care system is made up of several provincial, regional and local organizations, which provide the people their basic right to reasonable health care (“Health Systems,” 2014). Not having enough health care providers seem to be a problem, which Canada as a whole has struggled with (“College of Family,” 2014). The shortages of medical providers have lead to major discrepancies in the level of patient care between major urban centers and rural areas (Howlett, 2013). In the case of Saskatchewan many communities are facing this challenge, not only rural areas but also the capital city of the province (“Saskatchewan ER,” 2013). Stats Canada has showed that the number of physicians is at a historic high, yet Saskatchewan still face shortages (Howlett, 2013).
In Canada, access to health care is ‘universal’ to its citizens under the Canadian Health Care Act and this system is considered to the one of the best in the world (Laurel & Richard, 2002). Access to health care is assumed on the strong social value of equality and is defined as the distribution of services to all those in need and for the common good and health of all residents (Fierlbeck, 2011). Equitable access to health care does not mean that all citizens are subjected to receive the same number of services but rather that wherever the service is provided it is based on need. Therefore, not all Canadians have equal access to health services. The Aboriginal peoples in Canada in particular are a population that is overlooked and underserved
... To provide Indigenous people with adequate health care, emphasis needs to be placed on understanding indigenous beliefs and the social detriments Indigenous communities are faced with. Applying a suitable model of health to each individual situation will provide the best outcome. This was evident in the case study discussed in the essay. Rodney’s experiences within the medical world ended with a positive and desirable result, but if the appropriate transcultural care was not given, that positive result would have created a negative outcome, which could have been detrimental to Rodney’s future health.
However, Canada is working towards incremental equality when regarding this concept, which in turn, impacts reconciliation. The most universal outcomes of the physical environments of reserves are to do with substantial housing shortages and poor quality of existing homes. With the lack of affordable housing off reserves, there is overcrowding in First Nation communities, as well as homelessness for Aboriginals living in urban areas, (Reading & Wien, 2009, p.8). Homes that exist on reserves lack appropriate ventilation, which results in mold, which in turn can lead to severe asthma as well as allergies. Families on reserves do not have access to a fresh supermarket that carries nutritious foods because they live in a remote community. With this being said, health conditions may develop in Aboriginal peoples because of the lack of healthy, nutritious food. Canada is working towards equality within the physical environments as William F. Morneau (2016) describes, “Budget 2016 proposes to invest $8.4 billion over five years, beginning in 2016-17, to improve the socio-economic conditions of Indigenous peoples and their communities and bring about transformational change,” (“A Better Future for Indigenous Peoples,” 2016). All of these aspects play a key role in reaching reconciliation throughout
...fficient training for health workers, communication barriers, a general mistrust in the health care system and culture shock has contributed to issues in delivering services to many Indigenous communities. The reason to why these issues have emerged is a result of two main factors, the lack of health services that are needed to address the issue and the silence of Indigenous communities which leads to misunderstanding between the government and Indigenous communities. Indigenous Australian’s experience this major disadvantage and neglect in the Australian society due to the poor healthcare system and policies that haven’t had a positive effect on the issue. For the issue of Indigenous health to be resolved, the Government and social policies need to address and meet the need of Indigenous people to overcome the poor health conditions that these communities suffer.
Health care inequities can be elucidated by the research that identifies the social, economic and political ideologies that reflect aspects of cultural safety (Crandon, 1986; O’Neil, 1989 as cited in Browne & Fiske, 2001). There are various factors that affect the mistreatment of aboriginal peoples as they access health care in local health care facilities such as hospitals and clinics. Aboriginal women face many barriers and are discriminated against as a result based on their visible minority status such as race, gender and class (Gerber, 1990; Dion Stout, 1996; Voyageur, 1996 as cited in Browne & Fiske, 2001). A study done on Aboriginal peoples in Northern B.C. showed high rates of unemployment, underemployment and dependency on social welfare monies (Browne & Fiske, 2001). This continued political economic marginalisation of aboriginal peoples widens the gap between the colonizers and the colonized. The existence of racial profiling of aboriginal peoples by “Indian status” often fuels more stigmatization of these people because other Canadians who do not see the benefits of compensations received with having this status often can be resentful in what they may perceive is another compensation to aboriginal peoples. The re...
Individuals experience different access to health-care depending on their social location. “A lack of access is illustrated by a person who has had an unmet health-care need for which he or she felt he or she had needed, but had not received, a health-care service in the past year” (Ives, Denov, & Sussman, 2015, p. 170). Health-care access in Canada is often unequally distributed, leaving vulnerable individuals unable to secure sufficient assistance. Changes in health-care delivery in Canada have affected individuals’ access to services. Vulnerable groups such as low-income, rural, and immigrant families experience pronounced difficulty adjusting to Canada’s health-care system.
As we learned throughout the duration of the course through lecture, readings and discussions, Indigenous Canadians are faced with many determinants of health.
Health care services are important to all, but what happens when our First Nations are allowed to those services but they themselves don’t always use it? In Canada, the health care system is supposed to be a ‘discrimination-free envornment’ (Tang, 2008) but that is not always the case. The right to an adequate health is all ours, but then for many nurses and physicians ethnic groups such as Aboriginal people are victims of racial gestures. Therefore, the health of the Aboriginal population is much worse than the non-Aboriginal people.
The Aboriginal Hospital Liaison Officers (AHLO) provides cultural, emotional, and clinical support to Aboriginal patients and families. Their role is to provide cultural support and advocacy for Aboriginal patients to ensure that their safety and care is culturally appropriate. Whilst demonstrating acts of kindness and hostility, the patient’s needs are being met. AHLO is employed in hospitals so that Aboriginals have equitable access to health care services, which in turn can increase cultural awareness and sensitivity of health care services to Aboriginal families. It ensures that Aboriginal individuals and families receive culturally appropriate information in order for patients and families to understand medical procedures.
Canada Health Act (1984), augmented the Constitution Act. • The Canada Health Act aims “to protect, promote and restore the physical and mental well-being of residents of Canada and to facilitate reasonable access to health services without financial or other barriers.” • The Canada Health Act specified that the federal government would provide funding to the provinces and territories on condition that they complied with the principles of the Act. The federal government originally providing half of the capital for health services, but this portion has fallen gradually over the years, wear down the federal government’s ability to influence provincial governments’ policies.
The Canadian population is composed of people with different cultural background that consist of different communities of immigrants and natives. The Aboriginal community is one of the native community living in Canada holding 4.3% of total population as per National Household Survey 2011 (Statistics Canada, 2011).The Aboriginal people are culturally diverse in Canada having unique historical, linguistic and social contexts. Distinct cultural background of the Aboriginal communities is one of the reason they are experiencing inequities and disparities in health status compared to the non-aboriginal people. In this regard, Canadian nurses are expected to learn about cultural diversity, knowledge, skills and attitudes to provide culturally
Conflict perspective deals with macro and some micro levels. Causes of poverty, health disparities, distribution of life chances via, social class, and gender.