Canada’s single-payer system began in 1957, with several revisions years later. Man, 50 years under a socialized medicine, government-run scheme. Canadians with their single-payer system clearly have no motivation to innovate–because where’ the profit? Funny, then, that Canada’s had plenty of medical innovations :

• 1958 World first surgical treatment on cerebral aneurysms. (Lawson Health Research Institute — London, Ontario)
• 1960 First implanted mammary artery into the heart wall in order to restore functionality of the heart. (McGill University Health Centre Research Institute — Montreal, Quebec)
• 1965 First artificial knee joint in the world created. (McGill University Health Centre Research Institute — Montreal, Quebec)
• 1969 Discovery of a carcino-embryonic antigen, a tumour marker for cancer. (McGill University Health Centre Research Institute — Montreal, Quebec)
• 1987 World’s first pacemaker cardioverter defibrillator is implanted. (Lawson Health Research Institute — London, Ontario)
• 1989 Discovery of the gene which, when defective, causes cystic fibrosis, the most fatal genetic disease of Canadian children today. (The Hospital for Sick Children — Toronto, Ontario)

And on and on and on…

(via The Executive Physician)

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