Fraser Institute News Release: Canada has fewer doctors, hospital beds, MRIs and among longest wait times than other countries with universal health care

Core Insights - The study by the Fraser Institute highlights that Canada has one of the lowest availability of medical resources among high-income countries with universal health care, despite being a top spender on health care [1][3][5] Health Care Spending - In 2022, Canada ranked 4th highest in health care spending as a share of the economy at 11.5% and 9th highest in spending per person, indicating a significant investment in health care [3] Availability of Medical Resources - Canada ranked 28th out of 30 countries for the availability of doctors, 25th for hospital beds, and 25th for psychiatric beds, showing a concerning lack of medical personnel and facilities [4] - The country also ranked 27th for MRI machines per million people and 28th for CT scanners, further emphasizing the scarcity of advanced medical technologies [4] Wait Times - Canada ranks 8th among nine comparable countries for patients waiting more than a month to see a specialist, with 65.2% experiencing such delays, and is the worst for patients waiting two months or more for non-emergency surgery at 58.3% [5] Recommendations - The report suggests that Canadian policymakers should learn from other countries that have more effective universal health care systems to improve the current situation [6]