What is the QUALITY of Canada's Health Care/Doctors.?

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Leon

If 10 is getting your problems taken care of promptly without you going into debt, I think I would give the Canadian system a 7 or 8. I have never had a problem finding a family doctor like some people say they have. I have never had problems getting in to see my family doctor but the system pays them per visit so some doctors can be a bit abrubt and eager to get you out the door. They may also tell you to go home, take an advil/tylenol and come back if it's not better in a week. The patient doesn't pay anything so he can't really complain about it but the doctor charges 2 visits for the same problem.

Once I had to see a specialist, I had to wait about 6 weeks but for that too, they prioritize problems. If you have a less serious problem than somebody else, you could wait. If you need surgery, especially if it's something not life threatening, maybe only painful, you could wait for months to get in. Which is why some people who have money will go to the US instead. The Canadian system is very fair that way. Money will not buy you to the front of the line. If somebody who has no money at all has a more serious problem than you, it doesn't matter how much you have, he will get help first.

Nich

Very good. Although admittedly, if you go to ER with something that is not serious you will have to wait a long time.

Peggy I

Quality is excellent.

But there is no line jumping. You have to wait your turn. If you show up at the hospital with a broken finger, you will have to wait while someone with a heart attack gets looked at first.

Cat

Its pretty good, i can compare it to the UK as i am from there, and its so much better than their public NHS system. Admittedly at the moment with the shortage of family doctors many people are going to the hospitals because they don't have a family Doctor and they are not using walk in clinics so wait times are pretty bad sometimes. But like people say the triage nurses know the real emergency cases. It can also take a few months or longer to wait to get a referral to see a specialist or to get a CT or MRI scan done too. However I'd put the system at an 8 out of 10.

mj_puce

The quality is generally high, but the waiting list to see a specialist or to have surgery can be too long. I can't rate it on a scale because I've never had health care in another country to compare it too. It gives me peace of mind knowing as a Canadian Citizen, I can walk into a clinic anywhere in Canada and see a regular doctor for any problem, often the same day and usually by the next day, and not pay anything.

DKNY D

Better than USA for sure.

tuppenybitz

excellent

9

Cornflake

9
Never had a problem with finding a doctor and/or specialist

jaco

I would rate it a 10 . I have had 2 major operations because of cancer . there was no waiting times at all. I was diagnosed and treated at absolutely no cost . top doctors top nurses. I cant say enough about our canadian system. there is always people who knock it untill they become seriously ill.

Â¸.â€¢*Â´`*â€¢.Â¸ CherryCola Â¸.â€¢*Â´`*â€¢.

As far as coverage, it's pretty good since it's universal. With certain jobs you can be covered for everything 100% including prescriptions. There's a really bad shortage in the province I live in and I've known of people who waited 4 years just to get a regular family doctor. My husband waited 4 years to get a call to see about scheduling a knee surgery that he ended up not getting. My mother-in-law is an RN and she's always telling me about how someone had to get a leg amputated because of infections. Kind of scary but it happens everywhere. like everyone says if you can afford health insurance th US would be great, but if you can't then Canada would be good. as far as quality, I'd have to say an 8 out of 10. Only because the only doctor i got in to see was my OB/GYN when I was pregnant and she was amazing. She was really caring and understood my financial situation since I'm not originally from Canada and don't have coverage yet. If my mother-in law didn't know a bunch of doctors, I would have had to wait a long time to get a family doctor. In my province we have a waiting list. You can't just pick up the phone and call a doctor from the phone book. I'm not sure if it's like that in the rest of the country though.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_and_American_health_care_systems_compared

cane z

it's better than the US in that everybody gets access to some sort of care for free. it's worse in that you cannot jump the line to see a doctor just because you can afford it. you'd have to wait behind a bunch who cannot afford to jump the line. since it's universal and free for all, you'd have to be gravely ill to be seen before others ahead of you in line. in some cases it means you can't just walk to a doctor and ask for a check on your kidneys if there are 200 patients waiting ahead in line for dialysis. you'd have to wait till all 200 terminally ill patients are taken care of before you. you could be on dialysis yourself by the time it gets to your turn. Doctors are paid next to nothing and so they are all flocking to the US. it's 50/50. some canadians go to US to have hip surgery etc because they are affluent enough to afford the $20,000 it costs to have it done in the US. else they'll have to wait behind a bucnh of poor people before it gets to their turn. they could be paralysed by then. both countires need a bit of both systems (a 2 tier system). sadly most canadians oppose this idea. let the poor who can't afford it wait in line for the free universal care. however, if you are lucky enough to have $50,000 to blow on your health, i think you deserve a chance to avoid lining up behind poor people and go get the care you want. i give our health care system 5 outta 10.

MasterPython

Unless you are dieing not so great. If you are new in town there is no way to get a family doctor so you are forced to go to clinics or the emergency room. The normal emergency room wait time is around five hours. If you need non life saving surgery you might end up waiting a long time. But if you happen to be dieing it's normally first rate.

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