A recent report in the August 28, 2007 Vancouver Sun shows what might happen to us if we adopted a Canadian-style system. Here are some excerpts:
"Canada lags in health innovations"
Canada lags behind several other developed countries when it comes to health innovations, such as developing new prescription drugs and medical devices, according to a Conference Board of Canada report.
...Canada's performance is relatively low, despite being the third highest per capita spender on health care, behind the U.S. and Switzerland.
Among the study's findings about health care research in Canada:
- There is little collaboration between universities and business enterprises.
- Canada has drastically fewer medical patents and applications than other countries.
- Fewer university graduates in Canada have advanced research skills.
..."The Canadian health care system, when compared with those of other OECD countries, is not a high-performing system," states the report.
