US Healthcare vs. Canada: Dr. Alona Sukhina's Lessons from the Frontlines
Why I Left and Why It Matters: Lessons from Dr. Alona Sukhina (Episode 72 – Interesting MD)
By Dr. Robert Beck
Sometimes an episode stays with you long after the recording light goes off. My conversation with Dr. Alona Sukhina, the first pediatrician (finally!) to join the Interesting MD podcast, was one of those moments. Her journey from Arizona to British Columbia speaks to the heart of why so many of us go into medicine…and why so many of us are leaving the system we were trained to serve. Let me walk you through some reflections and key takeaways from our talk.
Meeting Dr. Alona Sukhina
Pediatrician with a deep commitment to holistic, family-centered care
Trained in Arizona, worked in Tucson for four years at an FQHC (Federally Qualified Health Center)
Served refugee and underserved communities, especially Spanish-speaking families
Immigrant from Moldova (USSR), shaped by her own family’s journey and values
The FQHC Model: What Works, What Hurts
Dr. Sukhina’s description of her clinic is something many Canadians wish for and many Americans have never experienced:
Comprehensive care under one roof: pharmacy, labs, x-ray, mental health, and more
Focus on the most vulnerable: Medicaid/Medicare, uninsured, undocumented, refugees
Subsidized costs: making medication and care affordable so families don’t have to choose between health and survival But the model depends on steady government support. When the funding dries up, the whole system starts to unravel:
Clinic volume increases, support systems shrink
Critical programs for children and refugees get gutted
Clinics close, especially in rural and poor areas
What Happens When the System Fails
Hearing Alona’s stories is gut-wrenching:
Parents afraid to bring their children in for care because ICE is calling clinics for records
Patients detained with no notice, families torn apart, kids left without medical support
Refugees desperate for stability lose their advocates and support networks overnight
Even children with congenital illnesses can lose access to life-saving medications due to funding cuts You can hear the heartbreak in her voice when she talks about writing desperate letters for families or losing touch with kids she’d been caring for when their family “just disappeared.”
Why She Left — And Why Others Are, Too
Alona’s reasons for leaving echo what I hear from colleagues everywhere:
Loss of purpose: Medicine becomes a battle with paperwork and profit, not healing
Values out of alignment: When science and compassion are thrown aside by policy
Fear for patients and self: Watching a society erode the safety net its most vulnerable rely on
Burnout and guilt: The constant push to do more with less, and then feeling like a “traitor” for saying enough is enough
What We Owe Our Patients — and Ourselves
If there’s one thing I took from our conversation, it’s this: We don’t swear an oath to a ZIP code, or a financial model, or a particular employer. We swear it to our patients — all of them, whoever is in front of us. Sometimes, keeping that oath means leaving where we are so we can continue serving the way we know is right. And sometimes, the bravest thing isn’t to stay and fight a losing battle, but to build lifelines for others, just like Alona and her family did when they left the USSR. She wants to be a resource, a bridge — so do I.
Reflections on Freedom and Inequality
A lot of people talk about freedom. But if your ability to get care depends on your job, or your bank account, or not getting stopped by police, is that really freedom?
High insurance premiums lock people into jobs they hate
Medical debt can ruin lives — even in “good” families
If your neighbor can’t get care, you’re not truly free either Here in Canada, people are still worried about their lives, but the fear is different — it’s not about the next medical bill or losing everything to illness.
Final Thoughts
I’m grateful to Dr. Alona Sukhina for sharing her experience so honestly. Whether you’re a physician feeling lost in the system or just someone trying to make the best choices for your family, stories like hers matter. They’re reminders that medicine is about people, not profits; about community, not competition. If you’re thinking about making a change or need advice about the process, reach out. This podcast, and my work, are in part my way of building lifelines for others, too. You don’t have to do this alone. Until next time, Dr. Robert Beck