At its most fundamental level Canada's health-care problem is deciding how to allocate a finite supply of dollars to infinite demand. Yet the system used to allocate health-care dollars is closed. My suspicion, backed up by some statistical evidence published in this paper, is that doctors allocate supply not to those most in need, but to those best able to argue their case. We need to openly discuss the subject of who will not receive treatment rather than putting doctors in the ugly position of deciding for us.
Jonathan Fleming

The Romanow Report has been designed to protect the status quo. In other words the inefficiencies within the hospital system and all attendant services will remain essentially safe against any measurable market discipline.
F.W.Woodward

I think the Romanow report is bang on. The people of Canada have spoken. This is not about politics. It is about what the people of this country want.
Rosemary Kuzmich

Injecting more money into the system is only a band-aid solution. The real problem is we are all getting too sick. Our health problems stem from the lazy, inactive people in our society. We all need to exercise more.
Shirley Witt

As a Canadian living in the UK, I have seen how a publicly funded universal health care system is struggling in a two-tier environment. I was pleased by Mr. Romanow's report for recognizing that we do many things well, and for not being afraid to suggest progress at a price. It is telling that the most positive comments come from Canadians living abroad. I hope to be part of a Romanow solution when I return to Canada.
J. Silvester

Several years ago the B.C. government published a book called "B.C. Health Guide." It was issued to every household in the province to help people practice medical self care and manage a lot of minor problems by themselves. Rather than overloading the taxpayer, the public should be informed about how they can take care of minor problems at home.
M. Coyles

It is about time to revive the soul of Tommy Douglas. It is about time that Canadians stop being americans. In the past 10 years we were sidetracked by greed. It's time to get back to the fundamentals of being Canadian.
Baldev Sood

Mr.Romanow had an opportunity to become a national hero but he blew it. His report is calling for what, very correctly, was compared by Mr. John Ibbitson to perestroika. If implemented, Mr. Romanow will have to accept responsibility for the failure of his health care reform. He will also share the responsibility for denying each individual's fundamental right to choose.
Kris Bienkowski MD

Kill off the aged, jobless, homeless, poor, chronically ill, overweight and smokers. They cost too much and require too much time. Is this what we want?
Arleen Reinsborough

Throwing money at the problem and creating central oversight organizations in Ottawa are not the way to solve the problems of health care. Mr. Romanow missed the target with this one.
Kirk Dawson

I suggest that Canadians investigate the Australian health care model. It is a country where public and private systems operate side by side.
R. Lindsay

I hope that the focus of the Romanow report will be on health promotion, disease prevention and harm reduction. Currently, our health-care system is an illness-care system. We do not do enough to help people learn how to be healthy and stay healthy. It is only through such efforts that we can ever hope to decrease the waiting lists. Canada has always been on the cutting edge of health care. Let's not take our cues from south of the border, but instead use our creativity and innovation to create a health-care system that focuses on the health of families, communities, social systems and the environment.
Andrea Hodges RN, BScN

I would like to propose a remedy for our ailing health care system. Health care should be provided by private and public systems. The key would be to keep provincial services close to or equivalent to the quality and standards established for the private sector. If using the private system, the cost would be borne by the patient. But, the provincial government must also offer this service with no cost to the patient. Legislation would ensure that the waiting period is no more than twice the waiting period for private care. Emergency care will be exclusively in the hands of the provincial government and there could be a special tax for emergency health care. If increased tax revenues can cut the waiting time for emergency care, I don't Canadians will protest too much.
Navaratnam Pradeepan

I think the health-care system is burdened by bureaucracy. There seem to be two to three administrators for every nurse. It seems that there are too many inefficiencies in the health-care system.
Catherine Stewart

Part 3

Part 1