Access to Treatment and Timely Medical Care in Canada - Research Paper Example

? Insert Insert Insert 15 January Social Problem in the Canadian Health Care System Introduction Canadian healthcare system is a socialized form of medication that majorly assures all Canadians of access to medication. It is funded through public funds and is based on territories defined by the government. The health care system provides access to hospitals on both preventive and treatment care through government medical practitioners. For several years, Canadians benefited from universal access to health care in spite of medical history, individual income, or economic class. However, this does not mean it has been smooth all through. The system has had several social problems that make it a work in progress. The problems range from micro to macro in historical, political, as well as political context. This research paper will seek to discuss the social problems with the provision of treatment and access to health care services in Canada in relation to the long waiting time in non-urgent health care. Micro to macro social problems in historical context The article titled ‘Mediscare’ that appeared in Mother Jones Magazine in 1991 exhibits historical social problem of access to treatment in the Canadian health care system. The interview between the editor and Canadian doctors, Dr. Johnson and Dr. Rachlis reveal that health care remains costly due to the problem of accessibility and treatment. This viewpoint was based on the historical health insurance that covered very little health care cost thus making Canadians to pay the rest of the price when seeking health care services. For them who could not afford to pay the rest of the price, health care has remained inaccessible to them to date. According to a study conducted by Evans, Barer and Marmor (1994), an insight became provided into the discussion between Hygieia and Asclepios on the well lived life and the external intervention. Their study employed the use of scientific research for a historical context. This facilitated the health care system to become the conventional drive for the conversion of knowledge into the improvement of health care. The findings contributed to the intellectual, resources and policy aspects as well as social expectations of Canadians in the health care system. However, this further created social problems on the justification of the level of efforts employed in implementation of the findings. Evidence shows that no social relationships were formed in the formulation of health care policies. The provision of health care services, thus, does not provide the required comfort to those seeking the services. In addition, the use of waiting lists for certain health services like bypass surgery and open heart surgery has been in practice since historical Canadian Health Care systems. This was viewed as causing excessive waiting time thereby affecting access and treatment in health care systems. These issues have continued to exist to the present day in Canada hence creating a macro social problem in the health care system (Mother Jones Magazine, 1991). Micro to macro social problems in economic context According to Roche (1996), 70% of healthcare expenses in Canada are funded through public funds while the rest is covered by sources like insurance premiums and cash payment at the service centre by the patients. However, these funds are not well managed since over forty percent of the entire provincial health care budget is spent on its hospitals rather than prevention care, programs on health promotion, and community based health care facilities (Mother Jones Magazine, 1991). Such disparities in planning create macro social problems by making Canadian health care system to remain expensive especially to low income earners who have to dig dipper into their pockets to access treatment. This in return makes accessibility to health care services difficult for such a group. Despite the amount of financial support directed towards health care insurance in Canada, tension continues to build up between the ever-increasing restrained resources and the increasing needs of individual Canadian citizens. This is because, the level of financing on health care expenditure is not enough, compared to the income earned in the provision of health care services. Similarly, any increase in the flow of resources for health care may or may not influence a corresponding increase in health care status since the need on the ground is more than the supply. The result is that the Canadian population will continue being faced with the problem of accessibility and waiting time until such issues are handled. According to Crone (2010), the social problem of access could be attributed to the national health care system present in Canada. The national system allows Canadian doctors to have private medical practices to which they are paid monthly fees for their services. This has encouraged doctors to raise medical costs in a bid to obtain some returns on the services they offer. What follows is the temptation on the practitioners to first attend to patients that pay first hence making the rest to wait. This, in turn, has made waiting time for less income earners longer than it should be. Micro to macro social problems in political context Coburn, D’Arcy and Torrance (1998) carried out a study on the sociological perspectives of the Canadian health care system. The focus in their study was centered on issues such as policy- making, practitioners’ insufficiencies, and compliance by patients to doctors’ instructions and the relationship between practitioners and patients at the micro level. Their findings were that all the issues were politically perpetrated and could lead to micro problems that contribute to in accessibility to treatment, poor service delivery, or long waiting periods for patients. A study by Roberts, Clifton, and Ferguson (2005) depicted recent social trends in Canada from the political and historical perspective that contribute to the micro social problem experienced in health care systems. The historical and political factors relate to the future of the Canadian labor market, Aboriginal population, and social welfare state system. Self-government by the Aboriginals in developing professional and administrative provision of social welfare negatively affects the equitable distribution of resources to the health care system thereby creating a macro social problem in access and waiting time to the rest of the population. In Canadian health care system, there exists neglect for health care by the political economy thereby creating a macro social problem. Some explanations put forward for this neglect relates to inequality in the distribution and allocation of health care resources to all geographical areas. This consequently led to limited access to treatment and other health care services as well as making medication costly. However, the issues were not solved even with the introduction of health care insurance. This was due to the factors behind its development and implementation. The health care insurance was developed with the interests of big businesses, working class, and influential consumer who strive to avoid direct costs of health care services. The results have been creation of macro social problems through an increased limited access to health care for Canadians (Coburn et al., 1998). Political debates continue based on unmet health care needs such as the shortage of nurses in Canadian hospitals. They suggested the control of health status in improving human life rather than expanding the health care system. They also recommend the use of intervention related social policies while focusing on individual risk factors of disease such as cessation of smoking (Evans et al., 1994). However, such suggestions have not been effectively implemented since hospital stewards and practicing physicians have continued to experience increasing frustrations, which have in effect created a social problem in the Canadian health care system to the present day (Robert et al., 2005). The result is that the increasing demand for services exceed supply hence leading to long waiting periods before a patient get access to a physician. Canada, as a welfare state, faces the challenge of conforming to the increasing power of international financial organizations and transnational corporations in order to compete with welfare state, and social systems of other countries worldwide. For instance, the transfer of some federal payments for provincial health care policies facilitated the privatization of certain health care services. This led to the closure of pharmaceutical drugs covered by Medicare and hospitals. As a result, the cost sharing phenomenon became abolished thus the poor could not access medication as they did before. Currently, Canada continues to move towards a less-distributive but more flexible system. This move considerably contributes to the macro social problem experienced in the Canadian health care system (Roberts et al., 2005). Findings The Canadian health care system experiences a social problem relating to the long waiting time for seeking medical attention especially in non-urgent medical circumstances. This research paper provided a sociological analysis in understanding the micro to macro social problem in the Canadian health care system within its political, historical, and economic perspectives. The key factors leading to the creation of this social problem in the historical context as identified in the research were welfare state of Canada, inequitable distribution of resources, and the rising costs of medication. From the economical perspective, the manner in which the Canadian health care remains financed raises questions. It would be likely that provinces could increase their ability to provide financial support to social issues. In considering the political context, the egalitarian nature of the Canadian health care system calls for more deliberations with regards to the provincial health care insurance policies. Moreover, the efficacy and appropriateness of clinical care offered requires more evaluation. Conclusion Access to treatment and timely health care services is a social problem that has had micro to macro change in the historical, economical context in Canada. Canadians have continued incurring a higher cost on accessing medical attention due to the problem of accessibility and treatment even after introduction of historical health insurance. This is because; the insurance has covered very little cost the rest to be paid by the patient. Every effort that has been put in place to study Canadian policy aspects as well as social expectations of the Canadians has been faced with the problem of justification. Such raised issues in implementation thus not providing any solution to the problem. Another pullback for access and waiting time improvement in Canada is the influence by the member states. This leads to privatization hence increasing cost of treatment for the Canadians. Only the ones who can afford meeting the cost get the opportunity to enjoy the health care services. Waiting time is a significant aspect in every service delivery business. In Canadian Health Care system, waiting list and ability to meet cost faster are key determinants on when a patient will be attended to. Ability to meet cost is a factor of economic standard of the population. Thus, the lower the income the more difficult it becomes for one to be attended to. Such have been caused by allowing privatization of doctor’s services, operating under poor policies, insufficiencies in staffing, poor allocation of resources geographically, and neglect by the political class. Political debates have remained unfruitful due to the inefficiencies in the implementation process of the resolutions made. References Roche. J. (1996). Resource Allocation in the Healthcare Sector. Catholic Health Association of Canada. Retrieved from: http://www.chac.ca/alliance/online/docs/brochure_resourceallocation_en.pdf Coburn, D., D’Arcy, C. & Torrance, G. M. (1998). Health and Canadian Society: Sociological Perspectives. Toronto, Canada: University of Toronto Press. Crone, J. A. (2010). How Can We Solve our Social Problems?. Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine ForgePress. Evans, R. G., Barer, M. R. & Marmor, T. R. (Eds). (1994). Why are Some People Healthy and Others Not?: The Determinants of Health of Populations. Hawthorne, NY: Transaction Publishers. Mother Jones Magazine. (1991, March/April). Mediscare. 16(2), 67-69. Roberts, L. W., Clifton, R. A. & Ferguson, B. (Eds). (2005). Recent Social Trends in Canada, 1960-2000. Canada: McGill-Queen’s University Press-MQUP. Read More