In the September 25 edition of the Journal, editor Bonnie James described some serious problems with our public healthcare system in her editorial: “Healthcare: a case for privatization”. While her concerns are significant and need to be addressed, her suggestion that the solution lies in more private healthcare services should be questioned.
Consider some basic information. Statista, a data gathering company, has published several comparisons on healthcare performance. The first was a comparison of 11 high income countries. The numbers: USA’s private healthcare system placed 11th. Canada came in at number 10. All other countries have well-established government-sponsored healthcare systems.
In a second, more detailed report of 167 countries, Canada placed at 32, the USA at 69. The conclusion is fairly obvious. The answer to the shortcomings James documented can be overcome by improvements in our public healthcare system. We, the federal government and provinces, should look to countries that have successful public healthcare: Scandinavian countries, Australia, and several countries in western Europe. Our public healthcare system needs a major upgrade to match what other countries have and Canada should have.
Peter Gauthier,
SHAWVILLE
