Privatization will not fix health care in Canada

Strengthening, not dismantling, Canada’s publicly-funded health care system means focusing on innovations and systemic changes to increase capacity, say Canadian Doctors for Medicare.

In a Toronto Star article published shortly before the meeting of provincial and territorial leaders in July, authors Katie Arnup and Amit Arya said any moves toward private health care are “especially cruel” given record-high inflation, to force people to pay for medical care.

“If the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that we need our publicly-funded health care system to be there for all of us.”   

KATIE ARNUP AND AMIT ARYA IN THE TORONTO STAR, July 6, 2022

“By expanding access to publicly-delivered dental care, implementing universal pharmacare and addressing the social determinants of health, we can improve the overall health of our communities,” they said. “We must build up our health-care workforce in a proactive and sustainable way.”

“Governments can tackle this with: solutions to improve working conditions (fair wages, benefits, less involuntary part-time work); implementing national licensure so doctors and nurses can practice anywhere in Canada; and credentialing internationally-trained health professionals.”

The authors say those looking to hand our health care system to corporate investors see only an opportunity for profit. “If the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that we need our publicly-funded health care system to be there for all of us.”