Imagine that you and your doctor strongly suspect that you may have cancer. An MRI or a CAT scan will tell the doctor whether to perform a biopsy. In Canada, where the government provides all funding for medical technology - and where there are severe shortages of such diagnostic machines, the wait for an MRI or CAT scan is often measured in months - and sometimes years!
An American entrepreneur is betting that mobile diagnostic imaging clinics - MRI machines on tractor-trailers - would be in demand among Canadians who are currently on waiting lists. (See MRIs on wheels proposed for Canada.) He's seeking permission from the government of Ontario to bring in three to five trucks providing this service. Alas, there may be a problem. Paying for your own health care is not allowed in Canada - and Ontario Health Minister George Smitherman wants to make sure that it stays that way.
A spokesman for George Smitherman, the Health Minister, said the province would be unlikely to give a green light ... "Entertaining this sort of idea is not something we're interested in," said David Spencer, an aide to Mr. Smitherman.
In Canada, you can spend your own money on a large home, a luxury car or a grand European tour. You can spend your own money on pornography, alcohol or tattoo parlors. However, when it comes to your own body, you must get in a long line for "free" government health care.
9 Nov 2005 @ 7:14am