Differences in Health care between Canada and India

Secunderabad, India

An uncle of mine came down with a shooting pain in the abdomen. Had to go to the nearby private hospital 3 times in an afternoon to get a proper diagnosis- a kidney stone. In Canada, he would have gone to Emergency, a battery of tests done and a diagnosis reached (probably). That set me thinking about how different the two systems are. Undoubtedly, health care is accessible by all in Canada and the processes and procedures are very much evolved. However wait times are long. Even in Emergency, you could easily spend 8-12 hours before a doctor would be able to see you (unless it is a life threatening condition). In India things can be faster (an ultrasound was done right away) but only for patients with the ability to pay. There is as yet no equivalent to the 911 call that you could make in Canada or the US in case of an emergency.