Related Experiment Videos
Poverty and medical treatment: when public policy compromises accessibility
1Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta, Edmonton. deanna.williamson@ualberta.ca
Purpose:
To explore poor Edmontonians' access to medical treatment services.
Methods:
Data were collected during interviews with 130 poor Edmontonians.
Results:
38% of study participants had failed to obtain physician services when they were sick or bothered by a health problem, and 40% who had been prescribed a medication had not filled the prescription. Participants experienced three main barriers to access: lack of money, lack of comprehensive health care coverage, and lack of affordable transportation. Findings suggest that a variety of health care and social assistance policies limit access to treatment services for people living in poor families.
Conclusion:
Despite the principles of the Canada Health Act, access to medical treatment is not based solely on need, but is tied, in part, to income. There is a need for health care, social, and economic policies that aim to reduce the barriers that limit access to physician services and prescription medications by people living in poverty.