The Canadian Health Care Act has an objective to promote, protect and restore the physical and mental well being of all Canadian residents (Government of Canada, 2023). This act also aims to provide health care access without any barriers (financial or physical) to all patients. I am a proud Canadian citizen, and am happy to have such an inclusive and fair health care system for all. However, while working as a Registered Nurse in various communities, I have started to note disparities in the services offered, should I say more so the access to certain services. My readings for this blog post have led me to learn that yes indeed, there are inequalities amongst offered health care within my own province of Ontario, and from province to province. The Health Care act uses the term ‘’medically necessary” over and over, but what does that actually mean? (Emery & Kneebone,2013). This terminology could lead to many interpretations, as all medical attentions should be necessary.
While I have traveled to many communities in Canada as a travel nurse, I have noted that geography is one of the largest issues that does not provide equal access to health care in Canada. The location of your home, has a great impact on your access to health care services, as many services are not portable, or so I thought.
While traveling on Vancouver Island, I met a portable traveling MRI machine. Wow! What a concept, this is the way to revolutionize the equal opportunity access that the health care act talks about for all Canadian citizens. This is one way, that we can try to promote, protect and restore the health of Canadians. I’m looking forward to explore more on this subject and see what other creative ways we have been able to try and bring health care to all our Canadian residents.
Emery, J. C. H., & Kneebone, R. (2013). THE CHALLENGE OF DEFINING MEDICARE COVERAGE IN CANADA. The School of Public Policy, University of Calgary, 6(32).
Comments