Comparison of Healthcare Systems in Canada and Australia

Running head: Healthcare system
Healthcare System
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1Healthcare System
Contents
Introduction:...............................................................................................................................2
Health System Performance Indicators:.....................................................................................2
Role of Government:..................................................................................................................3
Healthcare Funding:...................................................................................................................5
Healthcare Workforce:...............................................................................................................6
Conclusion:................................................................................................................................7
References:.................................................................................................................................8

2Healthcare System
Introduction:
The Aim of the Canadian Healthcare System (CHS) is to develop a strong system
which is strategically aligned, justified theoretically, actionable, integrated and
comprehensive. To achieve such objectives CHS includes both private and public insurance
policies. The system went through many reforms in the last 40 years and continues to do so in
response to changes in medical science and society. However it still adheres to the same basic
principles, namely universal coverage for healthcare services that are necessary, and the
provision of the services are based on its needs instead of the ability to pay for them
(canada.ca, 2018). The system provides coverage to all citizens, and is funded publicly and
administered at territorial or provincial levels, following the governmental guidelines. Only
with few exceptions, all citizens qualify for medical coverage regardless of their income,
medical history or living standards (canadian-healthcare.org, 2018). Due to such standard, the
Canadian Healthcare System is a point of national pride (Coletta, 2018; Mulholland, 2017).
Assessment of the performance of CHS is done in 4 aspects, namely Health System
Performance, Role of Government, Healthcare Funding, and Healthcare Workforce. These
aspects are compared to that of Australia to identify the key differences and the reasons for
those differences to have occurred.
Health System Performance Indicators:
Indicators of health system performance are measurable elements that can be used to
understand the performance of healthcare systems to improve the health and wellbeing of
individuals, communities or populations. The Canadian Healthcare System is considered to
have one of the most robust frameworks for the assessment of health system performance
utilizing both health system performance indicators as well as population health indicators.

3Healthcare System
Healthcare systems and its performance indicators are significantly affected by
cultural, political, social as well as economic factors (Keleher & MacDougall, 2016).
Different indicators can be utilized for measuring or quantifying the performance of health
systems. According to The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, the
health performance at individual and population levels can be analyzed based on 6 key
factors or performance indicators, such as: effectiveness, efficacy, equity, responsiveness,
appropriateness and safety (oecd.org, 2018). Braithwaite et al. (2017) studied the health
performance of 8 countries (Australia, Canada, Denmark, England, the Netherlands, New
Zealand, Scotland and the United States), across a range of performance indicators such as:
safety, efficacy, effectiveness and access. They also compared other parameters such as
Quality, Appropriateness, and Outcomes, Patient centricity, Cost, Equity, Responsiveness,
Competence, and Continuity, Timely, Acceptability, Sustainability and avoidable hospital
use. Their study showed that Canadian Health System to be Effective, Accessible Safe and
Efficient, as well as Appropriate, Competent, Continuous and Acceptable.
The Canadian Health system performance framework is conceptualized across four
dimensions: 1. Health Status, 2. Non medical determinants of health, 3. Health system
performance, 4. Community health and system characteristics. Within this framework, the
performance can be reported across 8 domains or dimensions such as: 1. Acceptability, 2.
Accessibility, 3. Appropriateness, 4. Competence, 5. Continuity, 6. Effectiveness, 7.
Efficiency and 8. Safety
Role of Government:
In Canada, the provincial and territorial governments are involved in the delivery of
healthcare service and supervision of service providers, often involving the regional health
authorities. These authorities have the responsibility of funding healthcare and its delivery in