Three Cheers For Quebecers

Three cheers for Quebecers! According to a recent Leger Marketing pole, seventy seven percent of the people in Quebec approve physicians working in both the public health care system and in a private system. Whether this is an aberration of Canadian public opinion or is representative of it, is not clear (the article suggests that it is not representative), I certainly take this as a promising sign of better things to come. Quebecers, whether because of more difficult times, a greater sense of fairness, or simply more courage, are prepared to depart from the status quo. A caveat on their approval was that there should be some type of public service Quota that doctors who practice in both systems, are obligated to fill.
On another positive note, 75% of the doctors agreed to the public service requirement of a quota and obligation to the public system. Supporting my convictions that doctors would not abandon the public system, only 5% of physicians surveyed said they would practice exclusively in a private system if one were available; thirty six percent said they would practice exclusively in the public system, and the remainder (a considerable majority), would practice in both and keep up their obligation to the public system.
The survey also found that 81% of Quebecers and 72% of doctors felt that private insurance should be allowed for more procedures than the Quebec Government is thinking of allowing (hip, knee, and cataract surgeries). So thank you, Quebecers, for having the courage to push for change; and a thank you to the Quebec government for taking some definitive steps (although baby steps), in a direction that most politicians, including our Alberta Premier Wannabes, are afraid to take.