By Preston Haskell
The World Health Organization lists France as number one in health care for its citizens. 65 per cent of hospital beds in France are provided by public hospitals, 15 per cent by private non-profit organizations, and 20 per cent by for-profit companies.
Preston Haskell
Italy is rated second by the WHO and is served well with their Hybrid system of health care. Predicated on competition, Italy’s 75 per cent of public hospitals is competing well with their ‘leading edge’ privately run hospitals.
Germany’s health care system has increased the private segment of their hospitals from 15 per cent to 33 per cent while maintaining a cost/service balance better than in Canada.
Obviously competition has not hurt the European Health system, which as it turns out, has propelled Europe’s health care to the top of the WHO’s list with:
● Lower malpractice and accident rates ● Improved quality assurance reporting ● 25% more doctor time with each patient ● Reduced number of cases per doctor ● Reduced post-operative infection ● Transparency enables patients to compare facilities ● Wait times in emergency rooms are shorter to non-existent
What’s not to like when the world’s leading health care providers enjoy more ‘bang for the buck’!
The loudest voices demanding that our hospitals remain government run seem to be emanating from those with a vested interest in health care being run by the government. Strangely, these loud voices claim that our hospitals and hospital system will be at risk if privately run hospitals are allowed. But where is their evidence?
Surely we cannot be satisfied with the status quo in our Ontario health care! Almost everything under the control of the Ontario government has run the gamut from poor to downright disastrous and every informed citizen knows it.
Is it time for us to check our premises?
Just because the United States cannot get its act together, when it comes to health care, should not prevent Canada from analyzing the health care systems of countries that have proven that they can.
We can no longer afford hard and fast ideology, especially if that ridiculous ideology places Canada BEHIND 29 other countries in health care. Canadians cannot be proud of the fact that we are not even in the top 25 of the world’s list of health care nations.
It is unfortunate that over 95 per cent of the countries trailing Canada on the WHO list are also locked into hard line ‘Government only’ health care.
Repeated comments against anything in the private sector seem to be flawed in light of continued comments like ‘The government is at fault for outsourcing public health care to the private sector. They should be happy then, predicated on the fact that our 30th place health care standing IS run by our government.
The nations ahead of Canada on the World Health Organization survey actually do operate under a hybrid health system balancing the best that both public and privately run health care has to offer. These hybrid systems DO NOT increase cost to their treasuries and they are bringing enormous benefits to their citizens.
If there is a risk to Canada’s health care, surely it resides in management’s inability to keep up with the best health care in the world today.
Preston Haskell is a resident of Niagara, Ontario and previous contributor of commentary on Niagara At Large.
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Mr. Haskell, I think you’re right in everything you said. As long as the government provides a base line of service private companies would only server to improve the system. I also never understood the fear mongering about it creating two health care systems.
I just wonder how it would play out in a place like the Niagara Region? Would we have private companies running our hospitals? You know in most places in Canada that would scare people, but probably not here in Niagara.
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I agree the status quo isn’t working, and I should have an article coming up which covers some issues. I took another look at French health care, and this is what I found:
* universal care, financed by government: National Health Insurance
* in 2005, France spent 11.2% ofGDP on health care
* approx. 77% of health expenditures are covered by government funded agencies
* Physicians in private practice, but draw income from public insurance funds
* supplemental coverage may be bought from private insurers, most of them non-profit (more info. to follow)
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*There are public hospitals, non-profit independent hospitals, and private for-profit
* most private hospitals are accessible on broadly the same terms as a public hospital
One conclusion: Yes there are private hospitals, but the government National Health Insurance ensures universality. People, regardless of income, still come first in this plan.
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http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/high-health-care-costs-its-all-in-the-pricing/2012/02/28/gIQAtbhimR_story_2.html
I would put this info. on my article, but it’s not up yet. Anyways, this article covers health care expenses.
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