Canada’s universal healthcare system is facing dangerous staffing shortages that are undermining its very viability. By 2024, this increased significantly. That’s one in five hospitals in Ontario that have an emergency room or urgent care center that experienced unplanned closures. This worrisome trend is indicative of a larger crisis of access to care across the country. Rural communities are the worst affected, with services growing more difficult to find and access.
In Manitoba, the situation appears dire. According to Doctors Manitoba, the majority of hospitals in rural regions will not have their emergency rooms open 24/7 this summer. This reduction in available services comes as parts of Canada face extreme temperatures and rapidly spreading wildfires, further straining healthcare resources. Air quality issues from these wildfires have only added to the strain that medical professionals are already experiencing.
Just ask any province in Canada over the past year as they took on the weight of unprecedented healthcare challenges. Saskatchewan in particular experienced dozens of patients being airlifted during widespread evacuation orders from wildfires. It was evident from these events just how fragile our nation’s healthcare system is under crisis. … they highlighted the importance of addressing capacity and resilience urgently and dramatically.
Canadians are choosing to travel within Canada rather than going south to the United States. This change has put even greater strain on our healthcare system. With this shift comes the need for Canada to improve its healthcare capacity by keeping and training a greater number of medical professionals. Experts recommend reducing barriers for physicians who want to practice across provincial and territorial borders. With the right shift, we can alleviate many of the existing pressures in our healthcare system.
Additionally, there is urgent compatto accelerate the process so that internationally trained doctors can practice medicine as quickly as possible. Removing other unwarranted administrative burdens, like requiring sick notes, for instance, would reduce burden on the health care system, too. Better facilitating team-based care models would allow primary care physicians to spend more time directly caring for patients. This change increases access to people who lack primary care doctors.
Indigenous health continues to be an urgent field need for which progress must be made to ensure equity within Canada’s healthcare system. And above all, realizing the unique health priorities of Indigenous communities is key. Most importantly, it furthers equity by guaranteeing access to care wherever you are in the country.
