Survey Finds Half of Canadians Unhappy With Provincial Health Care, Considering Private Care as Alternative
Half of Canadians are dissatisfied with their provincial health care system and the majority are in favour of relying more on private entities to provide better service, a new survey has found.
While 50 percent of Canadians said they are dissatisfied with their provincial health care systems, that figure grows substantially in the Atlantic provinces, where more than 67 percent are dissatisfied, according to an Ipsos poll conducted on behalf of the Montreal Economic Institute (MEI) and published on April 11.
Women tended to be less satisfied than men with their health care system at 55 percent and 44 percent respectively.
Fifty-two percent of Canadians said they would support greater access to private health care, while 29 percent were opposed and 19 percent were uncertain. The idea was particularly popular in Quebec, with 65 percent of respondents expressing support.
“They can see that elsewhere in the world, mixed systems that allow more room for independent care providers don’t have the wait times that we have.”
Looking to France and Sweden
Meanwhile, 65 percent of Canadians were in favour of emulating the French or Swedish health-care systems in Canada.
