Nothing will change unless adequate resources are available and an effective system of inspection and enforcement is in place One of the hard lessons we learned from the pandemic was that, in many cases, our long-term care homes were not providing an acceptable standard of care for the very dependent Canadians in their residences. Tragically,…
Ideology is the problem, not the solution What’s wrong with Canada’s health-care system? Dysfunctional systems, wait lists, not enough doctors, and not enough beds are just the obvious ‘starters’ in a long list of problems that are keeping Canadians from accessing medical care. While tossing more money at the problem will provide temporary relief, it…
Marked improvement in endothelial function, which helps prevent plaque from building up in arteries Exercise has a beneficial effect on the lining of arteries in postmenopausal women, according to a recent review. When the cells lining the arteries are healthy, this could help prevent heart diseases such as coronary artery disease. Researchers analyzed data from…
Researcher pushes for better palliative care for people with chronic mental health conditions A University of Alberta nursing researcher is working to change the way people with schizophrenia and other chronic mental health conditions in Canada are cared for at the end of their lives. One in five Canadians experiences a mental health issue in…
MAiD is changing our health system to one designed to bury us at the lowest possible cost Decriminalizing “Medical Assistance in Dying” (MAiD) in 2016 apparently confirmed a powerful social bias in favour of personal freedom. Presented as a free choice – affecting no one else – euthanasia seemed acceptable to most Canadians. However, this…
Too bad there’s none on offer When the Premiers were first called to a sit-down lunch to talk about health care with Prime Minister Trudeau, there was plenty of talk about the potential for systemic change, innovation and accountability. It seemed that Canadians and their leaders were finally on the same page in recognizing that…
The Canada Health Act must permit more room for experimentation and innovation at a provincial level The provinces say they need more federal money for health. The federal government says it wants to be assured of improved outcomes first. In my view, adding money, even with various provinces and metrics, will not be sufficient. We…
Provinces should allow other options, like duplicate insurance, so patients can access the care they need more quickly Over 660,000 Canadians are waiting for surgery at the moment, with many waiting long months and even years. For these people, each day stuck on a waiting list is 24 more hours of sore knees, of pain…
The competition will pressure governments to improve the public system Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s proposal to use private health centres to alleviate long wait lists has faced opposition from many quarters. It may seem counterintuitive, but Ford’s plan will actually ease the shortages of doctors and nurses. It was B.C.’s NDP government of the early…
Foreign-trained health professionals could help alleviate the strain Canada’s medical system is fast becoming a disaster area and a tragedy. There are not nearly enough family doctors to provide primary health care. Walk-in clinics were supposed to backfill this need, but many now do not take walk-ins as their registered patient load is already beyond…
Nothing will change unless adequate resources are available and an effective system of inspection and enforcement is in place One of the hard lessons we learned from the pandemic was that, in many cases, our long-term care homes were not providing an acceptable standard of care for the very dependent Canadians in their residences. Tragically,…
Ideology is the problem, not the solution What’s wrong with Canada’s health-care system? Dysfunctional systems, wait lists, not enough doctors, and not enough beds are just the obvious ‘starters’ in a long list of problems that are keeping Canadians from accessing medical care. While tossing more money at the problem will provide temporary relief, it…
Marked improvement in endothelial function, which helps prevent plaque from building up in arteries Exercise has a beneficial effect on the lining of arteries in postmenopausal women, according to a recent review. When the cells lining the arteries are healthy, this could help prevent heart diseases such as coronary artery disease. Researchers analyzed data from…
Researcher pushes for better palliative care for people with chronic mental health conditions A University of Alberta nursing researcher is working to change the way people with schizophrenia and other chronic mental health conditions in Canada are cared for at the end of their lives. One in five Canadians experiences a mental health issue in…
MAiD is changing our health system to one designed to bury us at the lowest possible cost Decriminalizing “Medical Assistance in Dying” (MAiD) in 2016 apparently confirmed a powerful social bias in favour of personal freedom. Presented as a free choice – affecting no one else – euthanasia seemed acceptable to most Canadians. However, this…
Too bad there’s none on offer When the Premiers were first called to a sit-down lunch to talk about health care with Prime Minister Trudeau, there was plenty of talk about the potential for systemic change, innovation and accountability. It seemed that Canadians and their leaders were finally on the same page in recognizing that…
The Canada Health Act must permit more room for experimentation and innovation at a provincial level The provinces say they need more federal money for health. The federal government says it wants to be assured of improved outcomes first. In my view, adding money, even with various provinces and metrics, will not be sufficient. We…
Provinces should allow other options, like duplicate insurance, so patients can access the care they need more quickly Over 660,000 Canadians are waiting for surgery at the moment, with many waiting long months and even years. For these people, each day stuck on a waiting list is 24 more hours of sore knees, of pain…
The competition will pressure governments to improve the public system Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s proposal to use private health centres to alleviate long wait lists has faced opposition from many quarters. It may seem counterintuitive, but Ford’s plan will actually ease the shortages of doctors and nurses. It was B.C.’s NDP government of the early…
Foreign-trained health professionals could help alleviate the strain Canada’s medical system is fast becoming a disaster area and a tragedy. There are not nearly enough family doctors to provide primary health care. Walk-in clinics were supposed to backfill this need, but many now do not take walk-ins as their registered patient load is already beyond…