Health Worker Recruitment

The disproportionate, poor health outcomes experienced by First Nations Canadians have been attributed to an uncoordinated and fragmented health care system. This system is rooted in colonial legislation and social policies that have created jurisdictional ambiguity and long-standing confusion among federal, provincial and First Nations governments as to who is responsible for First Nations health care (Kelly, 2011; Lavoie, 2013). The responsibility of healthcare resembles a “political football and while it is being passed back and forth, the health status of First Nations people remains the lowest of any segment of the population (Cook, 2011, p. 40). Despite attempts over the last 40 years to address this pressing social issue, the absence

The health of Aboriginal people in Canada is both a tragedy and a crisis (Aboriginal Affairs and North Development Canada, 2010). Aboriginals have a higher rate of death among aboriginal babies, twice the national average, higher rate of Infectious diseases example gastrointestinal infections to tuberculosis, and chronic and degenerative diseases such as cancer and heart disease are affecting more aboriginal people than they once did (AANDC, 2010). Availability of important medical facility is not enough to accommodate the growing medical needs of Aboriginals. A socioeconomic and cultural issue also hinders the access of aboriginals to access health care in the community.

Health care expenditure accounted for an estimated 11% (214.9 billion) of Canada’s GDP in 2014 (CIHI, 2014). Canada boasts a universal, cost-effective and fair health care system to its citizens (Picard, 2010). However, despite great claims and large expenses incurred Canada’s health care system has been reported inefficient in it’s delivery to the population (Davis, Schoen, & Stremikis, 2010; Picard, 2010). As inconsistencies exist in health care delivery across the country, choosing priorities for the health of the Canadian people becomes of vital importance. In Ontario, progress toward a better health care system has been stated to be moving forward by putting the needs of the “patient’s first” (Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care [MOHLTC], 2015). This policy brief will give a background of health care issues in Canada related to Ontario. Three evidence-based priorities will be suggested for Ontario’s health policy agenda for the next three to five years. Furthermore, through a critical analysis of these issues a recommendation of the top priority issue for the agenda will be presented.

Many would agree that a worthy, controlled health system, above all, should essentially contribute to good health. The responsibility of a health care system is that the organization of people, institutions, and resources deliver the health care services required and meet the health needs of focus populations. Another duty that the health care systems stimulate is the reduction of inequality to race, gender, social status and religion. Each health care system is different when looking at specific countries across the world, however some countries are more similar than others, such as France and Canada’s health care system. These two countries have numerous similarities when examining their health care systems, conversely that does not denote that both France and Canada are just as equivalent as the other. When observing countless aspects, such as longevity and infant mortality, as well as a lot of the inputs such as doctors or beds per capita, and of course the total expenditure on health as a percentage of GDP over the year, it is seen that France has a better and more enhanced health care system than Canada.

1 Understand the recruitment and selection processes in health and social care or children and young people’s settings

This paper will discuss the Canadian healthcare system compared to the United States healthcare system. Although they’re close in proximity, these two nations have very different health care systems. Each healthcare system has its own difficulties, and is currently trying to find ways to improve. Canada currently uses the Universal Health Care system; which provides healthcare coverage to all Canadian citizens (Canadian Health Care, 2007). The services are executed on both a territorial and provincial basis, by staying within the guidelines that have been enforced by the federal government (Canadian Health Care, 2007).

In 1967, Tommy Douglas had a great impact in establishing Canada’s universal health care system which guarantees health care to its residents regardless of factors such as race or ethnicity, religion, income, and age (Tommy Douglas: The Father of Medicare, n.d., para.1). In the 1974 Lalonde Report it emphasizes that health services were only one of the many factors that affect health (A New Perspective On the Health of Canadians, 1974). Others factors which include income, food security, the level of education, shelter, status of health, social status, employment and working conditions, and living conditions also contribute to the status of ones’ health. These factors are known as the social determinants of health or one’s socio-economic status that provide an insight to the health of Canadians.

The health status of aboriginals in Ontario is very poor. There are a lot of health care needs for aboriginals that live in Northwest Ontario, also because the population is so high. The first nations population is the largest (958,000) Followed by the Metis (266,000) and the Inuit (51,000). Every year the

The challenges associated with the HRM i.e. human resource management includes the distribution and composition of health care work force. In addition to this, the issues related to the training of the work force are also a challenge for the human resource management. The relocation of the health workers is also a great concern. Moreover, the degree of economic development is also a great challenge that negatively impacts the level of performance shown by a health care organization. These challenges must be addressed properly in order to have an effective health care delivery anywhere in the world.

Despite enjoying excellent health and receiving comprehensive and universal healthcare access, Canada has seen continuing healthcare inequality especially among those people living at or below the poverty level and those who are members of the Aboriginal Peoples. The greatest impact of this disparity is evidenced through earlier mortality rates and greater incidences of injury and illness. Nowhere in Canada is this more true than among the Aboriginal Peoples, who, for example, have the highest rate or and risk for Type 2 Diabetes. This risk costs Canada an additional 18 billion dollars CAD every year (Strategic Initiatives and Innovations Directorate, 2011).

Canada is a country known for having high standards of health care with free access to all citizens. Despite this being a widely held idea, the reality is that marginalized groups are not experiencing the same standards of health care as other Canadian Citizens. Despite the fact that some researchers say racialization does not play a factor in the level of health care received by people (Guilfoyle 1512), Indigenous Peoples in Canada do not have equal access to the Canadian health care system due to the problems arising from long-standing systemic issues, barriers to access, widely accepted stereotypes, and a lack of cultural safety training.

The aboriginal population in Canada is growing, and it is known that 56% of Aboriginals live on an rural reserve or community (Government of Canada, 2014; NCCAH, 2011). It is important to note that those Aboriginals living on reserves and in communities have a significantly higher rate of health issues than those living in cities (NCCAH, 2011). This stems from the limited access to healthcare that Aboriginal rural areas receive (NCCAH, 2011). The lack of healthcare causes higher numbers in diseases, conditions, and disorders among the Aboriginal people of Canada (NCCAH, 2011).

The 20th century was a time of great innovation in medical sciences, and Canada was a major contributor in transforming health care forever. The several inventions, discoveries and cures made by Canadians have shaped the world today. Many of these cures and discoveries have prevented numerous fatal diseases that were recognized worldwide. From 1945 to 2001, several Canadian inventors, doctors and scientists have been able to work without the aid of other nations making Canada truly stand out in the medical field. It is argued by many that Canada’s only major relation to health care is their free healthcare system. However, Canada’s contribution in the health sector and medical sciences through cures, discoveries and inventions say’s a different

Health is a complex concept, and global health adds to this complexity. When I think of health as a concept, I view it as being absent of disease. This understanding is a very biomedical approach to health and is a very narrow viewpoint of health. According to the World Health Organization (1948), health is defined as a “state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity” (a cited by Jacobsen p. 2). This definition does give a better understanding of what health is from a broader perspective. At the University of Victoria’s Global Health class, I have become to understand better the WHO’s definition and that it is linked to the social determinants of health. In this paper, I will reflect and analyze the learning that occurred for myself while taking the Global Health class, and how this knowledge has helped my nursing practice evolve at the local and international level.

The backbone of any health care system in the world, is it’s health care professionals. The lack of health care professionals in developing countries due to their recruitment to developed countries is a global health issue which has negative impacts on the citizens of developing countries. The two respective authors Edward Mills and Gillian Brock argue about the abolition of recruitment of health workers from poor to rich nations and some of the global responsibilities that others countries have to consider. In the next couple of paragraphs, I will be expressing the views of both authors on the global issue of health care workers that migrate from developing nations to developed nations and how it has negative consequences to the citizens of specifically countries in sub- Saharan Africa who are mainly affected by such phenomenons. To gain an understanding about the recruitment of health care workers in sub- Saharan African I will discuss two relevant texts “Compatriot priority, health in developing countries, and our global responsibilities” by Mills and “Should active recruitment of health workers from sub- Saharan Africa be viewed as a crime?” by Brock in order to show the basic message and standpoint of the authors. Mills and Brock have similar views in terms of the negative consequence of the immigration of health workers from developing nations to developed nations. However, there is a slight difference in the way the authors viewed the global issue where Mills is more