"People are making active decisions every day not to pursue care because of the cost of the system, which remains largely blind to this disparity for mental health patients".
It allows an earlier withdrawal of treatments if OD was disapproved while pursuing care for a potential donor, thus increasing the chances to provide viable organ.
A key feature of that mission involves pursuing "care for God's creation".
The more we involve people in understanding their health needs and the accessible support available, the more likely they are to take action and pursue care.
Those who were aware of patients independently seeking treatment outside of Canada were asked about patients' reasons for pursuing care (Table 2).
While publicly financed provincial and territorial health care systems that offer universal coverage for essential surgeries operate in Canada, Canadians may opt to pursue care abroad for a number of reasons.
Cost was the primary motivation to pursue care abroad for four participants, all of whom sought cosmetic or dental surgeries that were available domestically for private purchase but not covered under public Medicare.
With regard to recipients of healthcare from short-term medical volunteer groups, future studies should seek to understand who pursues care from short-term medical volunteers, why, and under what circumstances.
For example, attention needs to be given to understanding the concerns that arthritis care providers have regarding their patients accessing surgery abroad, the frequency with which their own patients pursue care abroad, and the responsibilities they think they hold towards patients who opt for medical tourism.
While the value placed on the expertise from former medical tourists by those engaging in decision-making around pursuing care abroad should not be discounted given their first-hand knowledge of what to expect from particular hospitals or surgeons, the conspicuous absence of a neutral, yet informed, third party informing the decision-making process must be noted.
