The Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) has released a new report outlining the current challenges in Canada’s health care system, focusing on four key areas: primary health care access, health workforce expansion, mental health and addiction services, and digital health systems.
The report, Taking the Pulse: Measuring Shared Priorities for Canadian Health Care, 2024, was developed in collaboration with government bodies and partners such as Statistics Canada and Canada Health Infoway to establish baseline data for tracking future progress.
According to CIHI’s findings, 83 per cent of Canadian adults have regular access to a primary health care provider, though approximately five million, or 17 per cent, continue to face difficulties accessing care.
Younger adults report notably lower access rates than seniors. The report also reveals that while surgical rates have returned to pre-pandemic levels for seniors, surgeries for other age groups are still below those levels, highlighting ongoing challenges in healthcare capacity.
Mental health access remains a concern, with a median wait time for community mental health counselling services at 25 days. About one in ten people are waiting five months or more. Additionally, although 81 percent of Canadians are interested in accessing their health information online, fewer than 40 per cent have done so.
CIHI’s Vice President of Research and Analysis, Kathleen Morris, describes the report as a crucial tool for keeping Canadians informed about health system improvements. “This work sets a common foundation for keeping Canadians up to date on the changes they want to see in health care systems,” Morris said. “It is encouraging to see that surgery volumes are rebounding, and improvements continue to happen in other areas, such as the increase of Integrated Youth Services (IYS) sites.”
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