Canada's health-care system 'not all that it's cracked up to be': Health PEI CEO
On Wednesday, leaders of Prince Edward Island’s health authority were questioned at a government committee meeting.
But they also laid out what’s plaguing health care, as well as what’s needed to improve the industry.
Dr. Michael Gardam, the chief executive officer of Health PEI, said at the meeting that 95 per cent of the problems related to health care on the island are related to staffing.
In an interview with CTV Atlantic, Gardam doubled down on his comments, noting part of the issue with recruiting and retention is “self-inflicted.”
“Our government system has been slow to evolve, to be really nimble, to be able to hire people as quickly as possible,” said Gardam.
A lot of the difficulty to adequately staff the health-care system comes to restrictions on workers like foreign-trained doctors, he said.
“Our system has been the way it is for the last 50, 60 years, and I think we’re finally reaching the point where people realize the Canadian system is not all that it’s cracked up to be and we need to make changes,” said Gardam.
But those fixes, Gardam warned, will be anything but quick. He said it will take years to reform the health-care system.
“Forty per cent of students at a school in Dublin are Canadians, but are considered foreign medical grads,” said Gardam. “The chances are the vast majority of those trainees are going to the U.S. Why do we let our system be that way? We can actually change those things.”
With the prime minister set to meet with Canadian premiers next week to discuss further federal funding for health care, Gardam believes it’s time to start having “frank and honest conversations” about what the Canadian system can and can’t deliver.
“We’ve always been told we have the best health-care system in the world and I think Canada has woken over the last few years to realize that we don’t,” said Gardam. “That’s something we’ve told ourselves, we’ve felt pretty smug about it. But we were always comparing ourselves to the United States.”
Gardam noted, when comparing Canada to other developed countries across the globe, it’s clear Canada has one of the most expensive health-care systems, as well as some of the worst outcomes, longest wait lists and the fewest number of hospital beds.
While he says he doesn’t advocate in either direction, Gardem believes it’s time to start considering how private services can help remedy a plagued health-care system.
He pointed out that roughly one-third of Canadian health care is private, adding every fee-for-service doctor is a private corporation, as well as pharmacies.
“We already have a lot of private health care in Canada, in fact, we have the same proportion that the United States does,” said Gardam. “What we need to figure out is if we’re going to allow more private corporations into Canadian health care.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
Shivering for health: The myths and truths of ice baths explained
In a climate of social media-endorsed wellness rituals, plunging into cold water has promised to aid muscle recovery, enhance mental health and support immune system function. But the evidence of such benefits sits on thin ice, according to researchers.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
'It was joy': Trapped B.C. orca calf eats seal meat, putting rescue on hold
A rescue operation for an orca calf trapped in a remote tidal lagoon off Vancouver Island has been put on hold after it started eating seal meat thrown in the water for what is believed to be the first time.
Manitoba mom praises quick-thinking fire department for freeing daughter stuck in playground equipment
A Manitoba mother is praising firefighters for their quick work in helping her daughter who got stuck at a playground in Lorette, Man.