Accountability In Canada

Context Proposed at the Time
A new principle of Accountability should be added to CHA to address the concern that there is a lack of information provided and needed to hold the appropriate individuals accountable for what happens in the health care system. According to Romanow, (2002) Accountability must be improved, health care in this country is now $100 billion enterprise, one of our largest expenditures. Yet no level of government has successfully accounted for how effectively that money is spent. Canadians are stakeholders in the public health care system and they are the reason it exists, they should not blindly trust governments and providers to do their job but demand transparency. Romanow, (2002) mentions the public have a right

“Our government do not have a clear constitutional authority for our health care system” (Romanow 2002, p. 88). He also indicated in The Report intergovernmental conflict and mistrust are barriers to our sustainability of Medicare. As a result, Romanow, (2002) surmised, Canadians were not sure which order of government is accountable for addressing specific issues and ensuring good outcomes. Canadians expressed deep suspicions about the way governments have managed the health care system and where the money goes. As users of the health care system Canadians should have a right to know how their system is being administered, financed and delivered and which order of government is responsible for which aspects of the health system (Romanow, 2002). Clearly the public has identified issues of mistrust and dissatisfaction with how the government functions in regard to funding and the health system, this is why holding them accountable for their actions is needed and one of the reasons why The Romanow report was

There are very few public citizens included within this group who makes policies for health care reform (Romanow, 2002). How are your views as the public recognized or taken into account since there are not enough input given or asked from the public? The need for transparency to allow public input is needed. The lack of consistent approach to provide long term leadership and direction to the public only contributes to mistrust. Also, when working with others differing interest or not reaching a consensus can delay advancement for change in health policies resulting in increased public wait times and frustration. Long wait times for change in policies can be attributed to the government not listening to the public or simply not doing anything to help. The lack of long term leadership and consistency was another reason why the Romanow report was started. DuMoulin, (2003) reported accountability was a significant topic of debates and measure to ensure provincial governments responsible for the decisions they make regarding health care. Marchildon, (2012) in discussion with Canadian Association for Health Services and Policy Research (CAHSPR) said the Romanow report was initiated due to debt crisis, dissatisfaction of users to health care and tax payers, cuts in health transfers, and division in cabinet succession within the Liberal Party. In summary, the public was