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Canada's health care system provides comprehensive services through an interconnected set of ten provincial and three territorial health care systems. Health care services in Canada are managed and delivered by each provincial jurisdiction. Based on the Canada Health Act, Canadian citizens can receive hospital and physician services free of charge and other benefits, including portability between provinces and low-cost prescription drugs. Recently, community-based care and increasingly high-tech e-health have helped the Canadian health care system reduce patient wait times and provide better health care for patients.

Contents:

How healthcare is delivered in the Canadian healthcare system?

The process of delivering health care services in the Canadian healthcare system

According to the Canada Health Act passed by the federal government in 1984, Canadian citizens can go through two steps in the health care system to receive treatment and services: primary care and secondary care.

When patients get sick, they first receive primary care at a clinic and primary health care has a dual role：

• First, it provides citizens with direct initial contact with health care services and practitioners.
• Second, it coordinates the patient's care to ensure continuity and facilitates movement when more specialized services are needed, such as transferring from a specialist or hospital to the health care system.

Primary health care is a bridge that connects patients to the health care delivery system. As a result, when Canadians need medical care, they often turn to primary health care services as the first step in connecting with the health care system.

• Patients who still need further treatment after receiving primary health care can apply for or request secondary health care.Depending on the patient's condition, the clinic may refer the patient to a hospital, long-term care facility, or the community for more intensive specialized care and treatment.
• Secondary care services can provide long-term treatment and specialized medical care for patients at home, in the community, or in institutions.
• In addition to these two steps of health care services, provinces and territories provide additional health care services to special populations (e.g., people with disabilities, children, and low-income residents). These services are often not part of the publicly funded health care system. These supplemental health care benefits often include the provision of out-of-hospital prescription drugs, dental care, vision care, medical equipment and devices (e.g., prosthetics, wheelchairs, etc.), and the services of other health care professionals (e.g., physiotherapists).
• Provincial and territorial governments also provide additional health benefits to these special populations to help them receive better and more efficient health care services.

Different provinces have different access to health care