Have you ever been kept waiting for hours in an emergency room? Do you find yourself having to exceed your budget just to pay for your prescription drugs? Have you had to pay out of pocket for specialty treatments like anger management or physiotherapy? These are just some of the problems the average Canadian runs into when seeking medical treatment. Though the universal health care plan is a positive step, it's far from perfect. Most of us are at a loss as to what can be done to fix it, but Dr. David Gratzer is not. He shares his ideas for reforming the system with us in his book "Better Medicine: Reforming Canadian Health Care."

What it's about

"Better Medicine: Reforming Canadian Health Care" is a non-fiction anthology of twelve essays by prominent Canadian doctors, professors, journalists, analysts, and activists. Each has a different take on the health care system and what can be done to bring about advances in public and home health care in Edmonton and across Canada. Some advocate privatization of the system, others a two-tier mixture of government and private services, and still others the incorporation of user fees. Their mission: to force readers to question their faith in the government's management of health care.

Who should read it

Anyone with concerns over the future of seniors care in Brampton, emergency services in their home town, a cosmetic dentist in Toronto or any type of health care should read this book just to see what's being considered. Even if you don't agree that the system is flawed, you should at least be familiar with your opponents' arguments. Those looking for an intelligent and informative read will also be please with this collection. "Better Medicine: Reforming Canadian Health Care" would be a good book to give as a gift to someone who is very vocal about the state of Canadian health care.

General info

"Better Medicine: Reforming Canadian Health Care" was released in 2002 by ECW Press. Its total length is 320 pages. This book is out of print, so it's not commonly available in book stores. However, used copies can be ordered from a variety of sellers in online marketplaces, including Chapters, Amazon, Google Books, and Ebay. Prices range from $5 to $20 plus shipping costs.

About the author

The editor of this volume, Dr. David Gratzer, is a Canadian psychiatrist. He has written many newspaper columns and books, including "Code Blue" and "The Cure." He was a policy advisor for Rudy Giuliani and is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute. His connections allowed him to meet many authors and Toronto naturopathic doctors, including the contributors to this book. They include David Baxter, Michael Bliss, Cynthia Ramsey, Margaret Wente and Dr. Edwin Coffey.