It seems Canadians are having considerably more difficulty in accessing healthcare. The Angus Reid survey found the four Atlantic Provinces, combined with B.C., Sask. and Ont. all had over 60% of respondents saying they faced challenges seeking the care they needed. The survey noted B.C. and the Atlantic provinces were the two regions where more than one-third of people had chronically difficult experiences accessing healthcare. A further 31%, the equivalent of 9.7 million, experienced some challenges, even though nearly all (98%) of this group reported having a family doctor. The type of medical care people had most difficulty accessing included:
- Specialist appointments (58% overall);
- Emergency care (54%);
- Surgical procedures (51%);
- Non-emergency treatment (44%) and
- Diagnostic tests (41%).
The situation was similar in almost every region of Canada, in both urban and rural areas. In the second report from the Angus Reid series focusing on the crisis in healthcare access, it was found that a third of Canadians who don’t have a family doctor say they've been searching for one for over a year, all while their health is declining compared to those with easy family doctor access. The difference in having a family doctor makes for overall health was shown when participants were asked whether their health had improved or worsened in the last six months. Over half said that their health stayed the same, while 25% responded that their health had improved and 20% said it had worsened.
Related:
Les médecins de famille se font rares au Canada en raison de la crise des soins de santé : rapport - News24
17 % de Canadiens sondés n’ont pas de médecin de famille - Radio-Canada