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Tuesday, August 14, 2007

1 More Indictment of Canada's Healthcare

When are people going to learn that Government delivered healthcare is a no win situation. The health care costs are huge and the standard of care poor. What don't people understand when it comes to the dangers and lack of value in government healthcare?

It would be one thing if government healthcare provided the best possible care and treatment while costing taxpayers an 'arm and a leg', but it's quite another when the healthcare is substandard and it can cost patients, literally (see all the c.difficile or flesh eating disease cases), and taxpayers, figuratively, an 'arm and a leg'.

CTV reports,
According to the report by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), the chances of patients receiving the wrong medication or wrong dose was about 1 in 10 in 2005.

The chances of an adult contracting an infection while in an acute care hospital are about the same: 1 in 10, while the chances of a child contracting an infection while in hospital are about 1 in 12.

Incidents in which a foreign object is left behind in a surgical cavity are less common, affecting about 1 in 3,000 patients in Canadian hospitals (outside of Quebec and parts of Manitoba). Yet that still adds up to more than 200 incidents per year between 2003-2004 and 2005-2006.

Previous studies show that obese patients are at higher risk of having a foreign object left behind after surgery, though the reasons aren't clear.

Other higher risk groups include: patients who undergo emergency operations, those who have an unexpected change in operation or those who have a change in nursing or surgical staff during a procedure.


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4 comments:

Anonymous said...

these stats mean nothing without a comparision to other health care systems. Agreed, Canada isn't the best health care country (ranked 31 by WHO), however, the top health care systems are all PUBLICLY funded. Also, many of the best countries to live in are run by socialist governments - e.g. Sweden and Norway.

Kaptaan said...

You can read about Swedish healthcare here and here. As for best countries to live in, it is a subjective exercise based on criteria that you or I may or may not agree upon. Even if I grant you that Sweden and Norway are great places to live, how long will that last when the productive parts of the economy are being continually pressured through taxes to supply the fuel (money) that drives the welfare state?

How long before those productive (read entrepreneurs and businesses) jettison those places for more friendly climes?

How long before unfettered immigration and the maladies unassimilative immigrants bring to those countries render them inhospitable?

Anonymous said...

sarbat daa bhallaa....we'll have to wait and see wat happens with norway and sweeden, but one thing is for sure...capitalist/right wing governments are unfair for those in unfortunate circumstances. As an economist perhaps the argument can be made for a right wing government, but as a Sikh do you believe that our duty towards the under-privileged is best accomplished by supporting right-wing governments?

(It's a genuine question, not one of those 'more religous than thou' statements, so please respond)

Kaptaan said...

SSA,

Yes is the short answer. I will provide a more detailed explanation later as it's kind of late and I have to get ready for work tomorrow. sorry to have to put it off, but that's reality.

Gur Fateh,
Kaptaan