Foreign medical graduates will not cut waiting lists?
Long waiting lists will continue to exist regardless of active
recruitment of foreign trained physicians. The reason being that publicly
funded healthcare inevitably leads to market failures. The “invisible
hand of the market” is not allowed to find an equilibrium between
suppliers (physicians) and consumers (patients).
Similarly, the lack of incentive and absence of competitive market
forces results in equipment shortages (i.e. MRI machines), and
inefficiencies in service delivery.
Rosen writes of the “perverse incentive” of consultants to see
patients privately, who are on long waiting lists. Since when has it
become perverse for individuals to have the right to spend their money as
they see fit (1).
To address waiting lists, the fundamentals of healthcare delivery
need to be re-examined. To do otherwise is offering “band-aid” solutions.
Pavi S. Kundhal
Medical Student, University of Toronto
1. Rosen R. Recruiting overseas doctors. BMJ 2002;325(7359):290-1
(August 10)
Competing interests:
No competing interests
02 September 2002
Pavi S. Kundhal
Medical Student
Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, M5S 1A8
Rapid Response:
Foreign medical graduates will not cut waiting lists?
Long waiting lists will continue to exist regardless of active
recruitment of foreign trained physicians. The reason being that publicly
funded healthcare inevitably leads to market failures. The “invisible
hand of the market” is not allowed to find an equilibrium between
suppliers (physicians) and consumers (patients).
Similarly, the lack of incentive and absence of competitive market
forces results in equipment shortages (i.e. MRI machines), and
inefficiencies in service delivery.
Rosen writes of the “perverse incentive” of consultants to see
patients privately, who are on long waiting lists. Since when has it
become perverse for individuals to have the right to spend their money as
they see fit (1).
To address waiting lists, the fundamentals of healthcare delivery
need to be re-examined. To do otherwise is offering “band-aid” solutions.
Pavi S. Kundhal
Medical Student, University of Toronto
1. Rosen R. Recruiting overseas doctors. BMJ 2002;325(7359):290-1
(August 10)
Competing interests: No competing interests