Among countries with universal health care, Canada has some of the lowest numbers of physicians, hospital beds and MRI machines.
healthcare performance
In 2021/22, 41 per cent of all hospital care in Australia took place in private facilities.
In other countries with universal health care, patients are free to seek care privately and are not shackled to the government system.
The median wait time for surgery in Alberta was 33.5 weeks, one of the longest waits in the country.
Countries such as Switzerland, Germany and Australia either partner with their private sector or use it as a pressure-valve for the public system.
The province went from having some of the longest waits for surgery to some of the shortest.
Other countries include the private sector as a partner in the universal health-care framework.
Australia’s health-care system outperformed Canada’s on many measures including the availability of physicians and hospital beds.
Ottawa's plan won’t replace existing provincial and territorial programs that already cover some oral health services.