The Quebec health care system has long been a target of criticism. Since the mid-1970s, newspapers have been reporting on staff shortages, emergency room overcrowding, challenges in finding family doctors, waiting lists that keep getting longer, and so on. Optimal use of resources is vital if we wish to reduce waiting times and provide better and faster service to patients. Technological innovations, including telemedicine, are a way of improving the efficiency of the health care system and increasing the choices offered to patients. Sadly, the current government monopoly in the health care sector eliminates most natural incentives to innovate and make optimal use of resources.

Publication of an Economic Note on the improvement of the efficiency of Quebec’s health care system.

The financing of Canada’s healthcare system.

The role of the private sector in health care services.

The role of the private sector in health care services.

Are we witnessing an economic recovery?

The financing of Quebec’s healthcare system.

The financing of Quebec’s health care system.

Waiting lists for medical services in Canada are painfully long. Too many Canadians lack access to a family doctor, and our low ratio of medical specialists to population size is a growing cause of concern. Could this problem be partly solved by making better use of the supply of medical specialists’ work through mixed practice? To get an answer, the Montreal Economic Institute (MEI) conducted a survey among medical specialists to find out if some of them might be willing to work extra hours in the private sector, beyond their commitment to the public system.

Health care reform in Canada.