TORONTO — Millions of Canadians were willing to consider spending thousands of dollars to join a private health service to gain access to faster medical care, suggests a Decima Research poll released Thursday.

Decima asked respondents how likely they would be to subscribe to a service that charged $2,300 a year, with a $1,700 initiation fee, to screen for early signs of disease and manage chronic problems such as diabetes and pain.

"In terms of the size of the market, Decima found there are more than five million Canadians who say they would be likely to subscribe to the service,'' the company said in a news release.

The firm based its calculations on the fact five per cent of respondents said they would be very likely and 18 per cent said they'd be somewhat likely to subscribe to the service.

The question was based on the concept of what one company has announced it will offer patients in Vancouver in October when it opens what is being called Canada's first primary care medical clinic.

Four in 10 of those surveyed indicated an awareness that such a clinic would soon open.

"These numbers are compelling evidence there is a broad market for private health care service in the country,'' Decima's Bruce Anderson said.

"While Canadians have long said they want the public system protected and well funded, they are clearly willing to consider some of the kinds of options that have historically been criticized as a threat to the public system,'' Anderson said.

The poll of 2,020 adults was carried out June 9 to 20 and is said to have a margin of error of plus or minus 2.2 per cent, 19 times out of 20.