• Tariq is a 28-year-old single telecommunications employee with diabetes, living in Gatineau. He has an excellent drug plan. He has no family doctor. He uses online virtual care clinics who prescribe medications. He has not seen a doctor in person for more than eight years. There is limited access to health care in Gatineau. He manages his diabetes with his pharmacist, who renews his medications and supports him. He struggles with hemorrhoids, obesity, cold feet, hair loss and skin infections.
• Marie-Claude is a 55-year-old alcohol-dependent schizophrenic couch-surfing in Orléans. She is a patient at a community health centre with access to MDs, nurse practitioners, social workers and drug addiction counsellors. However, she struggles with regular compliance with her anti-schizophrenic injections. She slips up often by drinking mouthwash or alcohol hand-sanitizing gel, sleeping at different friends’ and relatives’ homes, and missing her appointments.
These five composites, realistic reflections of patient health-care experiences in my community, show that there are multiple tiers of care in Canada. I challenge the notion of universal health care that is equitable, accessible and fair to every Canadian; this is not what I encounter.