The timid health care reforms adopted in Quebec over the past decade.

Ten years have passed since the Chaoulli decision, handed down by the Supreme Court of Canada in June 2005. The highest court in the land ruled then that when the government is unable to offer access to needed care within a reasonable time frame, the prohibition against purchasing private health insurance is a violation of the right to life and security of patients and runs counter to the Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms. How have waiting times in Quebec’s public health care system evolved since the Chaoulli decision?

Three major Canadian cigarette manufacturers are condemned by the Québec Superior Court.

Three major Canadian cigarette manufacturers are condemned by the Québec Superior Court.

The benefits to be gained by entrusting pharmacists with greater responsibilities.

While Quebec’s public health care system struggles to respond adequately to the needs of patients, and the cost of the system continues to rise rapidly, expanding the role of pharmacists in offering front-line services is without a doubt a step in the right direction. These increased responsibilities are likely to improve patients’ access to care and lead to savings, which the public system desperately needs.

Four areas of the health care industry in Canada that are largely private and that work well.

Four areas of the health care industry in Canada that are largely private and that work well.

Four areas of the health care industry in Canada that are largely private and that work well.

The recurring problems with which Canadian patients are faced, such as overcrowded emergency rooms and the inability of seeing a doctor when you need to, regularly occupy the front pages of our daily newspapers. In international rankings, Canada systematically finds itself at the bottom of the pack, among the countries where waiting times for health care are the longest. Yet there exists another health care system, an essentially private one that works well but that does not always get the credit it deserves.