Time to put health care in Canadians' hands: report

With a health-care system in crisis, a new report entitled Taking Back Healthcare says it's time to re-imagine health-care and put control back in the hands of the public.

The report from the non-partisan group The Public Policy Forum is co-authored by health-care experts from across Canada. It makes the case for easier access to care and expanded coverage. The authors believe better health outcomes will come, in part, by caring for health-care workers.

Along with the report, in an open letter they're calling on Canadians to demand better — reminding them, it's their health-care system. It reads in part, "Reform really starts with the expectations of Canadians, and decision-makers should work back from there."

Dr. Victoria Lee is one of the co-authors. She told CTV News the report came out at an opportune time. A national discussion about health-care is underway, as staff are burnt out, some emergency rooms have closed, and many people lack access to family doctors.

"I think there is certainly an agreement that of course, there's a lot of resources in the system. There's ways for us to better utilize resources. And if there's additional dollars, it'd be great to look at how do we enable that innovation and change agenda," Dr. Lee added.

The report makes big recommendations that won't be easy to implement and could take years. One of the ideas is to guarantee access to primary care within 30 minutes of where Canadians live or work.

Dr. Lee pointed out that given the country's expansive geography, that could mean a physical or virtual appointment. She said health-care professionals jumped into action quickly, to offer virtual options during the COVID-19 pandemic.

She added, "Now we've jump-started that area, and how do we actually move from that foundation to provide more accessible connected care whether we're in Nunavut, or whether you're in Ottawa, and I think those are some of the things that we need to work through as a system and if we commit to the same outcome, how do we deliver that?"

B.C.'S RESPONSE

B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix said he believed the goal of increasing access was one worth reaching for.

"And the way to do that is to keep building our primary care networks to get to of course train more doctors," he added.

B.C. has several communities with the networks which use a team-based approach to delivering front-line care.

Advocate Camille Currie, who is president of B.C. Healthcare Matters said she had concerns about how those clinics are resourced and said she'd heard from the public and medical professionals that they weren't sure how the clinics fit into the system.

"I have some concerns about how slowly primary care networks are being rolled out. I have concerns about how decisions are being made about allocations of funding and needs of communities," added Currie.

Currie said the Taking Back Healthcare report included many of the recommendations that her group is pushing for, including for Canadians to become involved in re-shaping what public health-care looks like. As for the report's recommendation that things like dental care and vision care and other allied health professions be covered, she said the focus should be on foundational changes.

"Primary care is the foundation to our entire health-care system. So before we consider any additions to the other levels above that, such as acute care or long-term care or private industries like this, we need to really make sure that we have solidified that primary care structure," Currie explained.

NATIONAL MEETING

At a meeting in February, the country's premiers and the prime minister will discuss health-care funding. Much of the discussion has centred around who pays, and how much.

Dr. Lee told CTV the report wasn't meant to influence those discussions. She said the goal was to look at the issues facing Canadian health-care.

"As a Canadian, I think all of us feel very strongly and keep our health system very close to our hearts," Dr. Lee added.

Experts and advocates hope when politicians meet, they remember the heart of the matter — patients.