Dr. Adam Hofmann, co-founder of Algomed, says he’s a strong supporter of public health care, but says Canada’s strained system can’t meet the needs of citizens. “We can’t stand by any longer while people are dying, literally dying, because they don’t have family doctors,” Hoffman said. “If you’re talking about a universal public health care system, it’s neither universal, nor public, it’s not free if you can’t access it.” According to a survey by Statistics Canada, almost half of adults in Canada’s 10 provinces experienced difficulty accessing health care in 2020 and 2021. About 15 per cent said they did not get the care they needed at all.
Critic of private health care
The Nova Scotia Health Coalition advocates for equitable access to health care and opposes privatization. Alexandra Rose, the coalition’s provincial coordinator, says that while private care may offer a temporary solution, it makes the deficiencies in Canada’s public health care system even worse. “Every time a private clinic opens, doctors leave the public sector, doctors, nurses, nurses. That’s less staff working in the public sector, which will exacerbate the extreme staffing crisis we’re already facing,” Rose said. . The Algomed clinic is staffed by three nurses who specialize in primary care, according to Hofmann. Hofmann says Algomed focuses on employing nurses — instead of doctors — allowing them to see thousands more patients each year compared to public clinics. While the Nova Scotia Department of Health and Wellness declined an interview, they did provide a statement saying they are aware of this clinic and are working to determine the impact the private medical facilities will have on Nova Scotians and the health care system.
How does Algomed work?
Algomed is a subscription service in which customers pay $22 a month to become a member and then pay $20 for each clinic visit. At an appointment, patients see a nurse who specializes in primary care. The nurse is remotely supervised by nurse practitioners and physicians who work with them to provide care, including annual exams, prescriptions and specialist referrals. Any care that the clinic cannot provide is referred to the public health care system. Algomed, a private health care clinic, recently opened in Dartmouth, NS This is the first Algomed location in Atlantic Canada. (Submitted by Alexandre Goupil-Lévesque) The clinic, which has only been active for a few months, currently has about four dozen subscribers. Algomed is not the first private clinic to open in the area. The Unified Health Community Center opened in west Halifax in August 2018. CBC News was unable to reach anyone at the clinic for this story.
Same issues, different solutions
Both Hoffman and Rose agree on the problems that exist in Canada’s public health care system, but disagree on how best to address them. This sign at the 2018 NSHC protest points to an ongoing problem in Canadian health care: the shortage of family physicians. (Nova Scotia Health Coalition/Facebook) Hoffman says he’s taken matters into his own hands because public health care has its limitations. “What public health care does poorly is keep up with the times. It doesn’t innovate. It can’t innovate. It’s too big a battleship to turn back,” Hoffman said. Rose says the responsibility for solving systemic issues falls squarely on the government’s shoulders. He says he worries that private care will prevent the government from finding long-term solutions on its own.
