Canada’s healthcare system is falling apart. It’s not too late to fix it

Ahead of a Premiers meeting next month, the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) issued a call on Monday for provincial leaders to work together to fix Canada’s healthcare system.

In the grips of the pandemic, Canada’s healthcare system was upheld by people who signed up to save lives.

However, after three years of combating both a virus and systemic problems, healthcare capacity is at an all-time low. ERs are closing — some temporarily, some permanently — while family doctors are impossible to find around the country.

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Dr. Alika Lafontaine, President of the CMA and rural anesthesiologist, says doctor shortages are due to burnout or a limited number of specialized doctors in various communities.

“The pandemic was an amplification of how long and how hard people worked. And I can see across the country, people are being crushed by the weight of that expectation,” says Dr. Lafontaine.

Money alone won’t fix Canada’s healthcare system but spending it the right way just might. So, what are the problems and the opportunities?

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