Should Medical Tourism Be Allowed in Canada?
Precise
Marion Zych, director of communications for the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario (RNAO), released the press statement titled “Nurses launch freedom of information request to get to the bottom of medical tourism” (September 30, 2014), which claims the Ontario government is responsible for the “attack on Medicare” from hospitals allowing medical tourism (see Appendix A). Zych supports her claim by informing readers that the government is aware hospitals are currently allowing foreign patients to buy non-emergent healthcare services, allowing hospitals to gain profit, and directing resources away from the public who need them. The author’s purpose is to inform Canadians of the formal
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Surgical procedure wait times in Canada are so long that Canadians are now resorting to travelling to India to receive hip replacements and cardiac surgeries (Eggerston, 2006) Historically wait times have burdened the healthcare system however, they are 95% longer now than in 1993 across Canada (Barua & Esmail, 2013). Ontario is adding to wait times by adding non-residents unjustly and making taxpayers wait or leave the country. MedSolution.com has provided 2500 Canadians information pertaining to medical services abroad (Eggerston, 2006). The RNAO has also requested information from the provincial government asking for data regarding medical tourism in Ontario (CBC News, 2014). It is of great relevance that nurses are aware of this information so they are able to support the RNAO and their statements fighting this injustice to Canadians. A compromise in medical tourism could be reached if individuals are limited to cancelation opeings that can not be filled by residents, and they pay for the cost to supply extra nursing staff to adequately staff the extra patient
A Canadian Dermatologist who once worked in the United States breaks down the pros and cons of Canada’s health care system and explains why he thinks the Canadian system is superior to America’s. Canada runs a single payer health care system, which means that health care is controlled by the government rather than private insurance companies. One of the main pros of the Canadian health care system is that everyone is insured. He says that in the province of Ontario, the Ministry of Health insures all of its citizens, all important health needs such as physician visits, home nursing and physical therapy are covered. Since every resident is covered under the government plan the problem of patients being turned away due to lacking medical coverage
In the 1990s the government made the decision to cut back on physician production because it though that it had enough physicians (Dauphinee, 2005). This lead to the greatest net loss of Canadian physicians to other countries, primarily the united states (Dauphinee, 2005). It was approximated that 508 physicians left in 1996 (Dauphinee, 2005).
In the past decade, Canada’s population has grown from 5,301,000 in 1900 to over 34,030,589 in 2011, driven mainly by immigration (Central Intelligence Agency, 2011). By 2056 it is expected, one in four Canadians will be 65 years or older, compared to 13 per cent currently. This will put a huge strain on the country’s health care system (Macleans, 2008 p.2). The future of Canada’s health care system is at great risk due to its escalating and aging population. This is triggering a shortage of physicians, particularly anesthesiologists, in some provinces of Canada (Canadian Medicine Journal, 2007). Anesthesiologists are specialist physicians who provide critical care to patients in a number of health programs: operative anesthesia for patients in all surgical subspecialties, acute pain management, procedural anesthesia, obstetrical care, and high-risk medical management, chronic pain management, resuscitation, advanced airway management, and critical care (Intermountain Healthcare, 2011). The current shortage of anesthesiologists is highly impacting access to care in each of these areas. Due to the lack of foresight in government policies, the shortage of anesthesiologists in Canada is increasing and becoming more critical. The Canadian government has failed to train, hire, and retain enough anesthesiologists/assistants for the needs of Canada’s rising population. The Canadian Medical Association (CMA) estimates it would take 26,000 more physicians, presently, in order to bring Canada up to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) average (Macleans, 2008 p.2).
There has been a shortage of physicians, lack of inpatient beds, problems with ambulatory services, as well as not having proper methods of dealing with patient overflow, all in the past 10 years (Cummings & francescutti, 2006, p.101). The area of concern that have been worse...
At the beginning of the 20th century healthcare was a necessity in Canada, but it was not easy to afford. When Medicare was introduced, Canadians were thrilled to know that their tax dollars were going to benefit them in the future. The introduction of Medicare made it easier for Canadians to afford healthcare. Medicare helped define Canada as an equal country, with equal rights, services and respect for every Canadian citizen. Medicare helped less wealthy Canadians afford proper healthcare. Canadian citizens who had suffered from illness because they could not afford healthcare, were able to get proper treatment. The hospitals of Canada were no longer compared by their patients’ wealth, but by their amount of service and commitment. Many doctors tried to stop the Medicare act, but the government and citizens outvoted them and the act was passed. The doctors were then forced to treat patients in order of illness and not by the amount of money they had. Medicare’s powerful impact on Canadian society was recognized globally and put into effect in other nations all around the world. Equality then became a definition which every Canadian citizen understood.
Health care has become an issue because of the shortage of doctors in Canada. Many of them are either going to the U.S.A. or going to other countries to practice in hospitals and clinics. The earning cap imposed by the government has forced doctors to work fewer hours than are necessary to serve the public. Many Canadians are without a doctor to help them with their needs, and emergency rooms are filled to capacity with no available beds for those who have to be admitted to the hospital. Waiting time for specialist and specialty tests has become so long that someone diagnosed with a major illness may die before they can be properly treated.
Primary health care is the essential step to the Canadian health system. It is often associated with other specialized health care sectors, and community services. Many patients visit various services under primary health care such as family doctors' offices, mental health facilities, nurse practitioners' offices; they make phone calls to health information lines, for example, Tele-health; and receive suggestions from physicians and pharmacists (First Ministers; meeting on healthcare, n.d.). This service can prevent patients from visiting the emergency department, when all that is required is some guidance and advice. Having primary care services can reduce the consumption of acute beds, where only seriously ill patients can use the acute beds when it is available. Primary care not only deals with sickness care, but it helps patients receive preventable measures; it promotes healthy choices (Primary health care, n.d.). The focus on appropriate health care services, when and where they are needed, enhanced the ability of individuals to access primary care in various settings: at home, in a hospital or any number of family health care venues, such as Family Health Teams (FHTs), Community Health Centres (CHCs), or Nurse Practitioner- led clinics. This paper will look at the litigious heated argument in the Romanow Report concerning primary care. It will begin with a discussion of the outcome of the Accord on Health Care Renewal (2003) and The First Ministers' Meeting on the Future of Health in Canada (2004), both referring to primary care, which will then be followed with an assessment and analysis of the different ways in which the accords have been addressed in support of primary care. Followed by a discussion about the changes on ...
Nursetraveler. (1999). The original bill that put staffing ratios in place! Retrieved September 10, 2011, from http://nursetraveler.org
“One told me that whereas in the United States a wealthy or well-insured patient might schedule a hip replacement with only a week’s notice, in Sweden the wait could be as long as three months. He described such waits as a design feature, noting that they allowed facilities to be used at consistently high capacity, and thus more efficiently.” (Rosenthal, 2014) Resolving the long wait time issue in Sweden and the United States can be accomplished by providing more physicians for patients. This could be accomplished with new ways of reorganizing health care
In spite of the shortage among nurses, there are number of options and recommendations that can better help to maintain an adequate staff level and provide greater strategies needed to increase nursing. The choices open to cover for insufficient staff range from reallocating and postponing work, relocating staff within unit or from other units, to employing temporary additional nurses according to Buchan and Seccombe (1995). In health care, some of these options may not be available because ...
Many health care professionals are wondering why shortage transpired when managed care cost initiatives, implemented throughout the country, are dramatically decreasing the length of patient stays (Upenieks, 2003). In fact, such a situation should be resulting in a nursing oversupply. As the nursing shortage ensues, the need for recruiting and retaining highly skilled nurses committed to the organization will become necessary to maintain high-quality patient care. The recent national nurse shortage has resulted in higher nurse workloads; fewer support resources, greater nursing dissatisfaction, and burnout, making it more difficult to provide optimal patient care (Upenieks, 2003). The primary role of nursing is to provide the best possible care to patients.
Overall, delayed access to medical care in any setting (emergency departments, family doctors, and specialists) can increase mortality, prolong pain and suffering, strain personal relationships, decrease productivity at work, and cause mental anguish in patients and their families (9). A large study conducted by the Fraser Institute examining the effect of wait times on all-cause mortality in Canada found that a one week increase in wait time from referral by a general practitioner to receiving medically necessary elective treatment meant an increase of three female deaths per 100,000 people (9). When looking at specific conditions, waiting longer to receive medical care for conditions such as cancer or heart disease puts patients at risk of disease progression, which can prove fatal or lead to longer and more intensive treatments than when the problem was first identified. Delays in elective treatments such as knee replacements can mean decreased quality of life due to prolonged periods of pain and functional limitation (10), while delays in cataracts surgery means patients are at greater risk of falls, accidents, and further vision loss, and likely higher mortality (11). It is clear that high wait times can mean reduced quality of life and poorer outcomes for a variety of patients, and an emphasis on tackling this issue is of utmost
The healthcare system in Canada is funded largely by the federal government as determined by the constitution. However, the actual healthcare delivery and social services is left up to each province and territory. Each province has the power to pass legislation that governs the financing and delivery of healthcare services to Canadians residing in that province. This fact encourages all healthcare professionals who have a strong provincial association and want to advocate their position on healthcare to speak up, if they want something different. If a physician wants to start delivery of telemedicine to rural areas of the province, he or she can advocate their position and
These articles have many similarities when discussing the issue of staffing shortages. For patients, their loved ones and the general population, they don’t understand the ramifications and strain that staffing shortages have on nurses. People expect and deserve complete, competent and safe care when they are patients. These articles bring to light all the struggles that nurses have to deal with. Nurses are fearful that they will make mistakes, will harm patients, and will harm themselves. (Bae, 2012; Erlen, 2001; Martin, 2015) Overtime can be overwhelming and exhausting, which can lead to errors being made. (Bae, 2012; Erlen, 2001) These articles perceive that it may be beneficial for nurses, patients, and healthcare facilities to decrease the nurse-to-patient ratio, however, this option is not always
Another major advantage of supporting the growth of medical tourism is its increasing popularity. More people from more countries all around the globe are beginning to realize how simple and uncostly this whole procedure can be. With this in mind medical facilities all over the world are providing top notch care for their patients, in a race to show just who can prove their ability to accept and care for patients from all over the globe, who have all different desires and needs. However, with its rising popularity, many people believe there are more downsides than benefits when it comes to medical