Visiblement, le problème du système de santé québécois n’est pas seulement dû à la pandémie : nous manquons atrocement de capacité et de personnel, et l’accessibilité aux soins peut être compromise à tout moment.

Health reform has been talked about enough; it’s time to take action and catch up to the other universal health systems in the world that have already embraced the role of entrepreneurs in the delivery of care.

Montreal, January 12, 2022 – Following the Legault government’s announcement regarding the possible introduction of an additional health tax for unvaccinated individuals, Miguel Ouellette, Director of Operations and Economist at the MEI, had some thoughts on the matter.

The wait to find a family doctor in Quebec is unacceptably long. The MEI proposes four concrete solutions to resolve this problem quickly without breaking the bank. The government should adopt them now.

While the Canadian health care system’s capacity to treat more patients during the pandemic remains particularly low, a clear majority of Canadians (58%) want their governments to allow increased access to health care services provided by entrepreneurs, versus just 27% who are opposed to this. Moreover, according to the Ipsos poll commissioned by the Montreal Economic Institute, a majority of Canadians (52%) also agree that the rate of increase in health care spending is unsustainable.

With the implementation of the PMPRB’s new regime fast approaching, time is running out for the Liberal government’s newly appointed cabinet to reconsider, given the dire consequences of this reform.

It has been urged by ethicists and economists, including two Nobel Prize winners, that bans on paying for plasma be rethought, as both the ethical and economic arguments against a compensatory model are weak.

The amount Quebec spends on health care is alarming. The Department’s budget has gone from $22 billion in 2004 to $45 billion last year. In Quebec, the wait for finding a family doctor is 599 days. In 2019, some 380,000 Quebecers left an ER without having been treated. Are we really getting our money’s worth?

The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us once again the importance of quickly developing and approving the use of innovative drugs. This publication has two recommendations to help ensure that Canadians have quicker access to medications.

New drugs and vaccines likely to increase life expectancy, quality of life and save money, so we should reduce approval delays as much as possible.