Canadians Denied Access to New Medical Technologies
Contact:
Dr. Bill McArthur, Senior Fellow
The Fraser Institute, (604) 688-0221, Ext. 563 Email: billm@fraserinstitute.caRelease Date: 6 August 1999
Vancouver, BC >>>Canadians are being deprived of access to vital high-technology medical equipment and procedures says a new paper, "The Availability of Medical Technology in Canada: An International Comparative Study," released today by The Fraser Institute.
In terms of technology per capita, Canada is clearly not a world leader. Canada is generally ranked among the bottom third of countries of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in availability of medical technology.
The technology deficit is not due to low spending on health as Canada is the fifth highest among OECD countries in terms of total spending on health (as a percentage of GDP).
In one startling example, Canada ranks twenty-first out of 28 countries in the availability of computed tomography (CT) scanners. The average accessibility among OECD nations is 12.9 CT scanners per million persons, well above the comparable figure for Canada, with 8.1 scanners per million persons.
Local comparisons are equally unfavourable; several key technologies, such as CT scanners, nuclear medicine facilities and specialized intensive care facilities, are all much less likely to be found at a typical community hospital in British Columbia than at a similar hospital in Washington or Oregon.
"The failure of the medical technology infrastructure means that surgery and diagnostic procedures are delayed and this results in declining patient health," says Dr. Bill McArthur, a practicing physician and author of the study.
These constraints upon the availability of medical technology clearly do not reflect a lack of demand, since there are waiting lists of weeks to months for many of the major diagnostic and treatment procedures such as MRIs and CT scans. The paper points out that the central problem is an insufficient supply of equipment stemming from deficiencies in Canada's health care system and the way in which purchasing decisions are made, authorized, and financed.
"This pervasive technology deficit points to the need for a serious re-evaluation of the way in which health care is funded and provided in Canada," argues McArthur.
Canada's stock of medical technology was assessed by comparing Canada with the other countries of the OECD and by comparing British Columbia with the US states of Washington and Oregon. Data on medical technology was gathered from several sources to make these comparisons.
Table 1: Canadian Medical Technology and Health Spending Relative to the OECD, 1997a
|
Technology |
Canadian |
OECD |
Canadian |
Sample |
|
CT Scanners |
|
21 |
28 |
|
|
Radiation Equipment |
6 |
17 |
||
|
Lithotriptors |
19 |
22 |
||
|
MRIs |
19 |
27 |
||
|
National Health Expenditure 1997 |
9.3% of GDP |
7.7% of GDP |
5 |
29 |
|
a Not all countries reported 1997 figures for all categories. Country-specific dates are included in Tables 2-6. b Number per million population, except where noted (last row of table). Source: OECD Health Data 98. Paris: OECD, 1998. |
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Suzanne Walters, Director of Communications,
The Fraser Institute, (604) 714-4582,
Email suzannew@fraserinstitute.ca
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