Shaping health care policy

At home and abroad, the Canadian health care system has long been regarded as one of the best in the world. However, it is facing internal and external pressures to change. There is a perception that the traditional system, with its emphasis on physician services and acute care hospital-based services, is being threatened. So, too, are the five principles--universality, accessibility, portability, comprehensiveness, and public administration--under which the system operates.