Canada’s ‘haves-and-have-nots’ health system lags behind Europe, study finds

Research says funding cuts and poor organisation stop Canadians from accessing healthcare - and 20% have no doctor at all

Funding cuts, fewer generalists and inefficient organisation are preventing more and more Canadians from accessing public primary healthcare, according to a new study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) which compares Canadian healthcare unfavourably with public systems in nine Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries.

About 20% of Canadians have no family doctor at all, and many more have irregular access to clinicians - a reality likely to worsen if not properly addressed now, said Dr Tara Kiran, a family physician in Toronto and one of the authors of the study.