Increased Canadian government health-care spending not helping

The federal government has provided provinces with an extra $36 billion in transfers for health care since 1997, yet Canada's health care system is in worse shape now than it was 10 years ago, according to a new report by the Fraser Institute. Consider:

* Between 1980 and 1997, federal transfers for health care spending were relatively stable, and from 1988-89 to 1997-98, the average annual growth rate in federal health care transfers was 1.4 per cent.

* But starting in1997-98, spending ballooned to 12.9 per cent, when just 3.1 per cent would have been required to keep pace with population growth and inflation.

* In total, the federal government has provided the provinces with $234.5 billion in cash transfers for health since 1980-81, but more than half that amount -- $115.7 billion -- has come since 1997-98.

Meanwhile, says the Institute:

* In 2006, the average Canadian could expect to wait 17.8 weeks from the time of a referral from a General Practitioner to the time a specialist delivered the treatment required, compared to 11.9 weeks in 1997; a nearly 50 percent increase.

* Total wait time for treatment was the result of a 72.5 per cent increase in the wait time to see a specialist after referral by a general practitioner, and a 32.4 percent increase in the wait time to receive treatment after an appointment with a specialist.

* The wait time for a CT scan increased from 4.1 weeks to 4.3 weeks between 1997 and 2006 while the wait time for an MRI scan went from 9.6 weeks in 1997 to 10.3 weeks in 2006 -- indicating that additional funding has not improved technology.

Source: "Canadian health care system shows little improvement despite extra $36 billion in federal transfers since 1997," CNW Group, March 13, 2007.

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Australia: New mothers badly treated in government hospitals

A CRISIS in Queensland's maternity service is leaving one in three mothers traumatised and endangering the health of their babies. A Sunday Mail investigation has revealed shocking lapses in care in overcrowded maternity units, with mothers going into labour in corridors and others pressured into having unnecessary caesarean deliveries. Poor post-natal care has led to some women needing emergency hysterectomies after developing avoidable infections.

A new study by Jenny Gamble, state president of the Australian College of Midwives, has found 30 per cent of mums experience symptoms of psychological stress after giving birth in Queensland hospitals. Lobby group the Maternity Coalition said overcrowding was now a problem statewide following the closure of 38 maternity units. In rural Queensland, a different study shows five women a week give birth before reaching a hospital with specialised maternity care.

The State Government was warned of the appalling state of maternity services two years ago, but midwives say it has so far failed to help frontline staff or their patients.

A Sunshine Coast couple have launched a court action against Queensland Health, alleging their son was born with cerebral palsy as a result of an emergency caesarean. On Thursday, an inquest was told that a young Brisbane mother suffered a fatal brain haemorrhage after another caesarean delivery.

Maternity Coalition president Joanne Smethurst said Australia's standard of care was almost "Third World". "The health of mothers and babies is suffering every day, but the Government has wasted two years doing nothing," she said, adding that hospitals were encouraging women to be induced and undergo caesareans because of a shortage of midwives and beds. Queensland has a caesarean rate of 32 per cent. The World Health Organisation recommends 10-15 per cent. Dr Gamble, who also runs the midwifery program at Griffith University, wants a community midwife scheme introduced: "We know what the problems are, we just need the Government to get on with it."

Since 1995, Queensland Health has received 20 reports on the state of its maternity services. The most recent, presented by the department's maternity services steering committee, said action was needed to improve care for women in rural areas and called for the introduction of post-birth care for all. In the past two years, the steering committee has spent almost $1 million on paperwork to prepare for the creation of yet another committee on the crisis. Steering committee chairwoman Cherrell Hirst said State Cabinet still had to approve the second committee and would make a decision by the end of the month.

She said it could be four years before any improvements in care were seen. "Stage one was setting up the interim committee, ahead of establishing the second committee," she said.

Opposition health spokesman John-Paul Langbroek said the situation was outrageous. "We get review after taskforce after investigation, and meanwhile services suffer," he said. A spokeswoman for Queensland Health said "moves are under way" for change. The Gold Coast Health Service District Birthing Centre, opened in May 2006, offers an "alternative model of care for birthing", but nothing has been rolled out state-wide

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For greatest efficiency, lowest cost and maximum choice, ALL hospitals and health insurance schemes should be privately owned and run -- with government-paid vouchers for the very poor and minimal regulation. Both Australia and Sweden have large private sector health systems with government reimbursement for privately-provided services so can a purely private system with some level of government reimbursement or insurance for the poor be so hard to do?

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