When the money runs out for healthcare that is neither free nor universal, will these judicial activists be glad that they stood on principle (read: protected a failed national system to save face) when they flee elsewhere for treatment?:
The B.C. Supreme court has ruled private healthcare is not a constitutional right if wait times are too long in a years-long case that will likely have implications across Canada’s health-care system.
The 880-page decision was handed down Thursday following a four-year trial, which involved more than 100 witnesses.
Dr. Brian Day began his battle a decade ago against B.C.’s government over whether patients should have the right to pay for private care if the wait in the public system is too long.
Justice John Steeves ruled “I have found that the impugned provisions do not deprive the right to life or liberty of the patient plaintiffs or similarly situated individuals.”
Yes, about that:
- Long wait times are part of the problem, with Canada having the "the highest proportion of patients with long delays to see specialists." (56% of patients wait more than four weeks; the international average is 36%.) Needing to wait this long for diagnosis and treatment results in many cancer patients not getting the treatment they need in time.
- And yet the same study showed that nearly 75% believe the quality of Canadian health care is either good or excellent. This false perception – largely due to a lack of comparison with other countries – means that these systemic problems will remain that much longer. If most Canadian citizens are unaware of these issues, there is little outside incentive for the government to create change.
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Wait times for cancer surgeries for the years 2015 and 2019:
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