Different views on privatization
CMAJ 1997;156:771
Dr. Carver's article "It's time for CMA to put the lid on privatization" (CMAJ 1996;155:1156-7 [in brief / en bref]) was a welcome and timely comment on the privatization of Canada's health care system. The unbridled enthusiasm of many Canadian physicians for a two-tier health care system, as expressed at the CMA's 1996 annual meeting, obviously caused consternation among the public, to the point that physicians were the object of derision in the media.
We urge Canadian physicians to examine the recent changes that have taken place in the US because of managed care. There, the autonomy of both private-practice and academic physicians has been increasingly eroded by private insurance providers. Having worked in the US and subsequently returned to Canada, we feel there is no question that a single-payer system is the only means of providing health care that is both equitable and of acceptable quality.
It is inevitable that health care in Canada will see itself streamlined in the future. However, let us ensure that it is physicians, other health care providers and the public, and not private insurance companies, that determine how modifications are made to health care delivery in Canada.
Christopher Power, MD
Joan Sametz, MD
University of Manitoba
Winnipeg, Man.
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