‘Health is wealth’, Healthy people are an asset of a country. It is imperative to provide an efficient health care system in a country which contributes to a significant part of a country’s economy, development, and industrialization. Improving human health and providing access to affordable, high quality health care is a key concern of all countries. It is not only an ethical and social imperative; it is also a necessary ingredient for the sustainable long-term development a country’s economy and society.

Canada is a country which provides due importance for healthcare services in the country for its citizens and permanent residents and as a result, Canada attracts many talents into the country. Each year, more than 250,000 newcomers make Canada their home, drawn by its reputation for a strong economy and very importantly its free and universal health care system.

Tommy Douglas who introduced Canada’s first single-payer, universal health care program as premier of Saskatchewan. Today, he is known as the father of Canadian Medicare. Given how proud Canadians are of their health care system, it isn’t surprising that Douglas is so revered. The Canadian health care system has evolved dramatically since Douglas revealed his vision for Saskatchewan. And it isn’t always easy for visitors to understand. Here is an overview to give you a better sense of the present Universal Canadian Health Care System

What is Universal health care system in Canada?

Canada has a decentralized, universal, publicly funded health system called Canadian Medicare. If you’re a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, you may apply for public health insurance. With it, you don’t have to pay for most health-care services. The universal health-care system is paid for through taxes

Health care is funded and administered primarily by the country’s 13 provinces and territories. Each has its own insurance plan, and each receives cash assistance from the federal government on a per-capita basis

Provincial and territorial ministries of health

• Alberta
• British Columbia
• Manitoba
• New Brunswick
• Newfoundland and Labrador
• Northwest Territories
• Nova Scotia
• Nunavut
• Ontario
• Prince Edward Island
• Quebec (in French only)
• Saskatchewan
• Yukon

Canadian Health Care Principles

• public administration on a non-profit basis by a public authority;
• comprehensiveness – provincial health plans must ensure all services that are medically necessary;
• accessibility – insured persons must have reasonable and uniform access to insured health services, free of financial or other barriers.
• portability – residents must be covered while temporarily absent from their province of residence or from Canada; and
• universality – a guarantee that all residents in Canada must have access to public healthcare and insured services on uniform terms and conditions;

Who Is Eligible for Canadian Universal Health Care?

Universal Health Care system is applicable to;

• Canadians (the primary requirement for coverage is residency status)
• permanent residents.
• In Ontario, for instance, applicants must reside in their province for 153 of the previous 183 days

Tourists or other short-term visitors to Canada have to pay out of pocket for medical care. For Canadians. If you’re a Canadian experiencing expat life in another country, you aren’t automatically eligible for health care coverage until quite some time after your return.

Is Canadian Health Care Free?

Yes, Canadians need not to pay out of their pocket.

It is paid for through taxation and public funds and available to all Canadians at no out of pocket cost. Everything from midwifery, rehabilitation, surgery, and paediatrics is included.

Waiting period to get public health insurance

In some provinces you must wait, sometimes up to 3 months, before you can get government health insurance. Contact the ministry of health in your province or territory to know how long you’ll need to wait.

Health card- must requirement:

You need a health insurance card from the province or territory where you live to get health care in Canada. You must show this card each time you get medical services.

Health Care for Foreigners and Expatriates in Canada:

International citizens living in Canada are not eligible for local coverage, at least initially. Once you have established residency you may apply to be covered under a local plan.

Most Canadians buy private medical insurance to provide access to private hospitals or hospitals.

Challenges of Canadian Healthcare System:

• The Canadian system has many challenges, despite its excellent reputation. Like;
• One of those problems is the inequality of care between urban and rural areas.
• Another is the lack of resources for Indigenous Canadians.
• Still another set of challenges is set in administrative problems, from long wait times in hospitals to a lack of specialists in certain regions.
• Supplemental private health care insurance is depended upon to make up a lack of public coverage for dental care and pharmaceutical care

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