A Canadian senate committee report on health reform calls for a number of controversial proposals as well as an additional $5-billion annual infusion from taxpayers. “The Health of Canadians-The Federal Role: Recommendations for Reform,” is a 381-page document on ways to improve Canadian health care.
The document’s central thesis is that new funds must be raised. There are several ways to do it.
According to Senator Michael Kirby, chairman of the panel that prepared the report, “the time has come for Canadians to balance their desire for more and better health-care services against their willingness to pay for them. The choice is theirs.”
The report spelled out ways to increase Canada’s physician supply through an annual federal
contribution of $160 million to increase first-year medical school enrolment nationwide by 650 to 2,500 positions by 2005. In addition, the reports proposed adopting short-term tax incentives to entice expatriates home.
Source: Matt Borsellino, Kirby Report Calls for Self-Sufficient Physician Supply, Medical Post, November 5, 2002.
For text http://www.medicalpost.com/article2.html
For report http://www.parl.gc.ca/37/2/parlbus/commbus/senate/com-e/soci-e/rep-e/repoct02vol6-e.htm
FMF Policy Bulletin\19 November 2002
For more on Canada’s Health System http://www.ncpa.org/iss/hea
