The Canadian Healthcare System (Coursework Sample)

Canadian Healthcare System and Health Disparities
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Canadian Healthcare System and Health Disparities
The Canadian healthcare system is headed by the government, which is also the leading health financier. Over time, it has experienced numerous reforms that are aimed at improving service delivery and minimizing health disparities. It is divided into two forms, the publicly financed healthcare and the private healthcare insurance (Government of Canada, 2017). Territorial and provincial governments deliver most of the care services, which are expected to meet the national expectations as prescribed under the Canada Health Act. This system of healthcare is necessary for ensuring the delivery of quality care to all people and reducing health disparities.
Structure and Function of the Healthcare System
Health disparities are differences in the delivery of care based on various factors like economic capabilities of individuals. It is among the major barriers to universal health and the efforts of improving health for all groups. The Canadian care system is a combination of public and private systems. The former entails a wide range of government entities ranging from federal, provincial and regional governments. The public participates in the care through different forms, such as regulation and imposition of laws that govern the delivery of care. These government agencies offer funding to purchase supplies, employ staffs and running the daily operations of healthcare facilities. These efforts are aimed to promote quality health for all Canadians.
The private sector involves the participation of non-governmental entities such as individuals, charity organizations, business, and faith-based organizations (Wolf & Toebes, 2016). Their involvement in care is experienced through funding the operations of health care facilities. Individuals also finance the system by out-of-pocket contributions through private insurance. However, the Canadian system follows the mixed model where private individuals and organizations deliver most of the health care services. The government mostly funds these services through direct funding to healthcare facilities and public health insurance plans. Although the private sector is more pronounced in care delivery, it is highly regulated by the government to promote uniformity in the delivery of care.
Healthcare System Components
Among the components of the Canadian the healthcare system is the government, which is regulated by the constitution. However, the federal government has limited control since most of the administration is territorial and provincial. Each of territories has a unique healthcare priority despite the standards and guidelines being defined by the federal government (Government of Canada, 2017). The regions are mandated with ensuring consistency and uniformity in the delivery of care across the country to promote health equity.
The federal government generates most of the resources in Canadian healthcare. The funding is availed through the provincial and territorial governments that redistribute the resources to different healthcare facilities (Wolf & Toebes, 2016). However, all the funds do not come from taxation because charitable organizations make significant contributions to funding some hospital programs. Additional funds come from private insurance because the system does not cover all the costs.
The Ministry of Health plays the role of oversight in the system and offers direction, leadership, support, and service delivery. It sets the overall goal for provinces while focusing on issues such as chronic diseases, addressing challenges in human resources, and improvement in access to healthcare services. At the provincial level is the Provincial Health Service Authority (PHSA) that manages the coordination and quality of care and access to vital health services such as cardiac diseases and transplants (Smith et al., 2018). This unit manages and governs provincial healthcare of highly specialized programs that contributes to almost a third of the health expenditure. Different sectors of health care, such as the public, mental, and home care specialists, are at the base of the structure. Each category is managed by a board of directors that offer leadership and guidance. Other agencies, such as the Canadian Patient Safety Institute are managed at the provincial levels.
Interactions within the System
The federal government in Canada limits the interactions between various healthcare stakeholders because each province and territory has a unique healthcare system. Although they may be similar in some ways, they are mostly different, each system with specific policies. This approach to health care plays a significant role in minimizing health disparities. It aims at focusing on the specialized needs of people in the territory since they have significant chances of sharing similar health needs. Provincial governments have the autonomy of passing laws that regulate the funding and provision of health services (Government of Canada, 2017). Therefore, Canada does not have a centralized system, and most of the interactions in the system are experienced at the provincial and territorial levels. However, through constitutional spending power, the federal government can have additional expenditure on groups, individuals, or through fiscal transfers.
The interaction of professionals is facilitated by their categorization, depending on the services they offer. The first group comprises physicians that work either in a group or independently. Some work in healthcare facilities where they receive compensation in the form of salary. The category of nurses works in the primary care setting, where they are employed in hospitals and acute-care facilities (Verma et al., 2014). The professionals offer home and community-based care services. The other category is made up of medical technicians, dentists, psychologists, public health officers, therapists, optometrists, and audiologists, among others. The categorization is designed to address the specific needs of patients and optimize the delivery of quality care to all people.
Roles of Clinicians, Consumers, and Families
Clinicians in the Canadian health care system play a significant role in ensuring that all patients receive the best quality care regardless of their backgrounds. They achieve this by regulating the cost of delivering care. This involves finding a balance between medical coverage and being the lobbyist for the government. The clinicians also have an obligation of reducing the cost of healthcare by making fewer tests and referrals when it becomes unavoidable (Smith et al., 2018). As the number of patients continues to increase, primary care clinicians are slowly assuming the roles of coordinators, which involve defensive diagnostic tes