Essay On Canadian Health Care

471 Words2 Pages
Health care remains a top priority for Canadians; while the universal model of care currently implemented in Canada is a major source of pride to many Canadians, it is not without its limitation. Though the Canadian health care system is based on the foundations of equality for all, evidence increasingly suggests that many Canadians do not have fair and equal access to certain precision and preventative services, causing health care in Canada to resemble a two-tier system, not distinguished by rich and poor, but by urban versus rural. About 30% of Canada's population lives within rural and remote communities, including more than half of Canada's Aboriginals; this is of particular importance, as Canada's rural populace tends to be older, sicker, poorer, and more accident-prone than their urban counterparts, with the higher rates of unemployment, and lower rates of overall educational attainment.…show more content…
Often, access to these services means traveling long distances, with expenses only partially covered, thus becoming very troublesome during times when emergency care is needed. This is further complicated by the fact that in many cases, rural facilities are substandard when compared to the sprawling urban health centres. The problems are compounded by recent closures of rural hospitals in many parts of the country, as budget cuts are increasingly targeting the Canadian health sector, which is allocated a large portion of national finances. Another serious problem is the shortage of health personnel in rural areas, especially physicians, which substantially increases overall wait times for treatments. These factors have resulted in significant differences between the overall health status of Canada’s urban and rural
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