I’m not making this up. Not at all. I kid you not. Canadians’ pets actually can get far better healthcare than their owners. Incredibly, the law in Canada prevents Canadians from receiving the same excellent standard of care in Canada as their pets can receive.

Canada has a purely socialized, state-funded and -delivered health care system, called “Medicare”.

It’s actually against the law in Canada to pay for one’s medical attention in the private sector, at least for the type of medical attention deemed by the state to be “medically necessary”.

Unfortunately, although the socialized healthcare system in Canada is “free” (actually paid for by Canadians’ taxes), one is lucky if one can actually get any care at all, and frequently must wait ridiculously long time periods to get even lifesaving care, including, for example, diagnosis and treatment of cancer. People do sometimes actually die due to having to wait for critically required attention and treatment, with their conditions becoming progressively worse and their suffering intensifying. I know this for a fact, having witnessed it firsthand. Once patients finally receive their attention, it may well be too late, and if only we had a system that worked for everyone, in which lifesaving attention and treatment were given quickly, lives may be saved rather than sacrificed at the altar of socialism and left-wing political correctness.

Here is a good article discussing this socialized healthcare system, which, besides in Canada, is only seen in two other countries, namely North Korea and Cuba, both Communist dictatorships with no freedom, no human rights and no rule of law. Strange that Canada, of all countries, still has this kind of system.

I’m sorry to say to the zealous proponents of a purely socialized medical care system, but it’s painfully unreliable and actually deadly. No amount of cash infusion in the future will help.

The only bright spot I can see is in the emergency rooms, where, if a patent shows up with what appears to be an imminently life-threatening condition, they’re seen immediately. However, even given a life-threatening condition such as cancer, the shocking truth is that, no, the system will not move fast enough to save all saveable lives. This is the terrible reality of “rationing”, which is an inevitable part of any socialist system of anything.

The solution: A workable balance between public/private funding and delivery is critically required. Nothing that has already been done to try to “save” the Medicare system has worked, no amount of money, no amount of tinkering, of innovation, etc. It’s only gotten worse and continues to worsen whilst Canadians suffer needlessly and sometimes even die for lack of required medical attention, due to the failure of supply to come anywhere near meeting demand (but then again, as it’s a socialist system, is this any surprise?).

“Best health care system in the world”? Oh, really? If so, then God help the rest of the world!

Canada can, and must, do better.