Canadians Fear Not Receiving Life-Saving Medical Treatment in Time: Gov’t Study

Medical tools are seen in an exam room at a health clinic in Calgary on July 14, 2023. The Canadian Press/Jeff McIntosh

Long wait times in Canada’s health-care system have Canadians worried they won’t receive life-saving treatment when they need it, a new government report has found.

The shortcomings of Canada’s publicly-funded health-care system are causing anxiety for many Canadians who fear “delays in tests or treatment,” according to in-house research by the Department of Health, which was first obtained by Blacklock’s Reporter.

The national survey found Canadians were “fairly consistent in expressing concerns about the current state of the system.”

“While the actual care received rarely tended to be a source of concern or criticism, most participants wanted to raise their concerns and fears about access to services and delays in tests or treatments,” the report found.

Canadians living in rural or remote areas and on reserves were most vocal about such fears.

“Access to health care seemed to be particularly problematic for indigenous persons, particularly those living on reserve,” the report noted.

The majority of those surveyed described medicare as adequate only after patients managed to make it through extensive queues, wait lists, and quotas.

“There were many who offered that once you get into being treated, the way care is provided seems quite modern,” said the report.

“Challenges such as sufficient funding and attraction and retention of health-care professionals often seemed more pressing issues.”

Earnscliffe Strategy Group conducted 12 focus groups and surveyed 3,068 people nationwide  to compile the data at a cost of $198,951.

The report comes just weeks after a survey of nearly 10,000 people across the country found a shortage of family doctors and understaffed hospitals to be two of the biggest concerns Canadians have about the health-care system.

The resulting 72-page report from Toronto-based OurCare Initiative detailed patient frustration with inconsistent access to primary health care as well as long wait times for appointments.

The report revealed what it described as an “attachment crisis” with an estimated 22 percent of Canadian adults—6.5 million people—without a family doctor or nurse practitioner they can see consistently.

Access to primary care was especially limited in Atlantic Canada with 30.9 percent of people reporting they don’t have a family doctor or nurse practitioner. Quebec was close behind at 30.8 percent followed by B.C. at 27 percent, the Prairies at 16 percent and Ontario at 13 percent.

The report recommended hiring more doctors and nurse practitioners by accelerating the process for bringing qualified foreign doctors to Canada. The report also called on governments to accelerate the licensing process for foreign-trained professionals and to recruit more of them to work in primary care.

Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault recently announced an $86 million investment in the government’s foreign credential recognition program to bring approximately 6,600 internationally educated health professionals to Canadian hospitals and clinics.

He said the funding would help the country’s health-care sector fill 90,000 job vacancies.