Candian Medical Association Looks to Europe to Improve Health System

Letter to members kicks off CMA debate:

The Canadian Medical Association is looking at European health systems for ways to improve.

The CMA won't launch its online consultation about transforming Canada's health care system until April 6, but if the initial response to President Robert Ouellet's March 6 letter announcing the endeavour is any indication, the consultation website should be a busy place.

Within five days of emailing the letter to members and posting it on cma.ca, the CMA had received 149 emails, many containing lengthy comments.

In his letter, entitled Status quo, or transformation?, Ouellet suggested that if Canada wants 'a sustainable, universal health care system, we have to transform the one we have.' It was first emailed to 45,000 members and posted on cma.ca, and then sent by regular mail to a further 25,000 members.

The link the the letter is at their website, and a few choice comments are there, and here:

• "I kindly disagree with you. The problems in our system will not be solved by privatizing the most lucrative parts of it. Canadian doctors want to practise medicine, not run businesses."
• "I was delighted with your comments. The constant arguments that any changes in our system will make us like the US have been misleading and frustrating."
• "It is about time care and money be patient based. Bring on the new system you suggest - it cannot come soon enough for me."
• "I'm baffled how we are like sheep and accept the wait times in our country when other countries far surpass our achievements."

It's funny, isn't it? Canada has the sense to look past the end of its collective nose for solutions, while we continue to try to tweak our system as it continues on its glide-path into the mountain.

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