The top rank with regard to Canada's health system has been claimed by British Columbia, in spite of the patients in the province expressing low satisfaction where the services are concerned. The worst health system in the country appears to exist in Manitoba, which has been ranked last in terms of patient satisfaction and performance. The Conference Board of Canada has made these revelations.
Money does not appear to play a prominent where good healthcare is concerned, as both Manitoba and British Columbia spent the same amount per capita in 2002. Big spenders like Labrador and Newfoundland do not come anywhere near the first place either. The Canadian Institute for Health Information has revealed that an amount of $142-billion has been spent by Canadians towards health in 2005, which amounts to a per capita expenditure of $4,411.The rankings were arrived at by comparing a total of 119 different health indicators in three categories like health-care outcomes, health status, and health-care utilization. Health indicators like the time delay for hip replacement, cancer survival rates, teen smoking rates, life expectancy, and the influenza vaccination rates were also compared. British Columbia came first with high rankings where lower cancer rates and life expectancy are concerned.
The Province seeks to improve its services further, according to Minister of Health George Abbott. As many as 78% of the people in the country are of the opinion that Canada's health-care system needs to be either rebuilt or changed altogether. Canada ranks only at 14th when compared to 24 other industrialized nations, with Japan taking the top slot. In terms of the prevalence if AIDS, Canada scored quite well for its low rates, even though the same could not be said for other ailments like breast, lung, and colorectal cancers.
