End-stage Socialism
Posted on 08/18/2004 5:47:21 PM PDT by freeforall
MDs urge $1B for health care
The CMA says the money is needed to address shortages in nurses, physicians, and technicians. SHERYL UBELACKER, CP 2004-08-18 02:47:30
TORONTO -- The association representing Canada's doctors is calling on Ottawa to provide a whopping $1 billion to address the shortage of physicians and develop a strategy to ensure the country has enough health providers to care for patients. At its annual meeting in Toronto yesterday, the Canadian Medical Association said health-reform experts have identified shortfalls among all types of physicians, nurses and technicians as a major obstacle to reducing long waiting lists for such procedures as joint replacement, heart bypass and cancer care.
"Health reform is meaningless unless we ensure an adequate supply of doctors and nurses with the infrastructure and tools that they need to attend to their patients," said Dr. Sunil Patel, president of the 58,000-member association.
The association wants the federal government to ante up $1 billion over five years for a national Health Human Resources Reinvestment Fund to increase the number of openings for medical students and post-graduate training positions, while fast-tracking residencies for medical graduates from other countries and establishing a program to recruit and retain health-care professionals in the system.
The fund would also be used to set up an institute to map out the number of doctors, nurses and other care providers that will be needed in the future -- to end "the boom-and-bust planning cycle that we've seen in the last three decades," Patel told reporters outside the meeting.
Federal Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh was not available for comment.
In a speech Monday to association delegates, the minister said "we are currently working on a pan-Canadian health human resources planning framework that will include a strategy to improve our knowledge about current workforce capacity and what we will need in the future."
Dosanjh said the resource issue will be a key item on the agenda when provincial premiers meet with Prime Minister Paul Martin on Sept. 13 to discuss health care.
The association, along with representatives from national organizations representing nurses, pharmacists and hospital workers, discussed their call for a reinvestment fund during a meeting with the health minister about a week ago during wide-ranging talks on improving patient access to health-care services.
"We need more doctors," Patel said, noting the most acute shortage is among general practitioners, leaving about four million Canadians without a family doctor.
An association report shows Canada has 2.1 physicians per 1,000 residents, ranking it 25th out of 30 countries in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.
Copyright © The London Free Press 2001,2002,2003
End-stage Socialism
I read recently that 500 more Canadian Doctors are leaving the profession versus being added per year. It won't be long now.
ping
But...but...it's..freeeee....
But I keep hearing from all the liberals I talk to that we need FREEEEE health care!!!
Percentage of GDP spent on health care:
USA 14.1%
Canada 9.1%
Life Expectancy:
Canada - 79.67
USA - 77.26
Who's John Gault???
LOL....the LESS time you spend in hospitals or with doctors the healthier you are, and longer you'll likely live....THAT'S what your Stats say to me.
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