A new report by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) has placed Canada at the bottom of the list when it comes to access to primary healthcare among 10 affluent countries.
The findings, released by the Commonwealth Fund, indicate a significant decline in Canadians’ access to primary care compared to previous years.
According to the survey, 86% of Canadians aged 18 and older reported having a designated doctor or medical facility for regular care in 2023. This marks a decrease from 93% in 2016, leaving an estimated four million Canadian adults without access to primary healthcare last year.
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Compared to other surveyed nations such as Australia, France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States, Canada’s access to primary care ranked the lowest.
The average across all countries stood at 93%.
The Netherlands emerged as the leader in primary care access, boasting a staggering 99% of adults with access to such services in 2023. Meanwhile, the United States mirrored Canada’s struggle, with only 87% of American adults reporting access to primary care.
Canada’s shortcomings in primary healthcare access extended to the ability to secure same or next-day appointments with healthcare providers. Merely 26% of Canadian adults could obtain timely medical attention, a sharp decline from 46% in 2016.
CIHI
Furthermore, the study highlighted disparities based on household income, revealing that Canadians with lower incomes were less likely to have a primary care provider compared to their affluent counterparts. Alarmingly, 39% of Canadians without primary care suffered from at least one chronic health condition, with 29% reliant on one or more prescription medications.
In addition to physical health challenges, the survey shed light on mental health concerns exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and economic stressors. Nearly a third of Canadian adults reported experiencing depression, anxiety, or other mental health conditions in 2023.
The Commonwealth Fund, in collaboration with CIHI, conducted interviews between March and August 2023, with 4,820 Canadians participating in the study.
These findings underscore the pressing need for reforms and investments in Canada’s healthcare system to address the growing challenges in accessing primary care services.
After the report was shared in a subreddit, Canadians chimed in with their own thoughts on the country’s healthcare access situation:
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