Archive for the ‘Health’ Category
« Older Entries | Newer Entries »
Canada needs doctors – so why is the country forcing Canadian physicians into exile?
Friday, November 17th, 2023
Both the licensing exams and residency matching are areas that if modified can establish a more streamlined, simple and fair repatriation process. Provincial governments can also work with medical schools to cover salaries for residency slots and the related program expansion costs for medical disciplines in shortest supply.
Tags: Health, ideology, jurisdiction
Posted in Health Delivery System | No Comments »
Growing gas plants: a made-in-Ontario public health failure
Friday, November 17th, 2023
Air pollution prematurely kills at least 6,600 Ontarians annually… Breathing toxic polluted air, further worsened by gas expansion, causes disease throughout our bodies… Other jurisdictions worldwide are successfully combining energy conservation, storage, and safe large-scale renewable energy transitions using solar, wind and hydro. Overlooking these low-cost, ready and reliable solutions, the Ontario government deliberately cancelled pre-existing renewable projects, costing taxpayers approximately $231 million.
Tags: economy, Health, jurisdiction, standard of living
Posted in Health Debates | No Comments »
National pharmacare dream dying as Trudeau appears ready to cave to Big Pharma
Thursday, November 16th, 2023
… pharmacare would increase Canadian government spending by the equivalent of about one-third of one percentage point of GDP… Even so, politicians seem willing to conjure up the threat of a credit downgrade, scaring Canadians into falsely believing universal pharmacare is unaffordable. (Instead, the Liberals may propose a smaller means-tested program.) … don’t be fooled into believing it’s because we can’t afford it.
Tags: budget, Health, ideology, pharmaceutical
Posted in Health Debates | No Comments »
National Pharmacare – Time to Get on With It
Wednesday, November 15th, 2023
National pharmacare is overdue. In 21st century healthcare, drugs are not a luxury nor a discretionary add-on. They are an essential part of healthcare delivery that should be covered universally. Canadians have already waited too long, and far too many of them don’t get the medication they need to stay healthy and manage chronic disease. The federal government can act as a catalyst by making a credible and responsible financial commitment… to improve public plan coverage.
Tags: economy, featured, Health, jurisdiction, mental Health, participation, pharmaceutical, standard of living
Posted in Health Policy Context | No Comments »
“Not broken, just underfunded”: for-profit care won’t reduce wait times, CCPA report says
Wednesday, November 15th, 2023
“Ontario does not lack the physical space and equipment to improve wait times for surgeries and medical imaging; what is missing is the health care workforce and funding necessary to do the work.” … Ontario is set to repeat the mistakes of Alberta, a province that saw wait times increase and total surgical volumes decline as public funding and staffing were diverted into investor-owned centres.
Tags: budget, Health, ideology, jurisdiction, privatization
Posted in Health Delivery System | No Comments »
Family doctors are suffering and so are their patients
Monday, November 13th, 2023
The money that family doctors make is at the very bottom of the range of all physicians’ pay… when we are responsible for all the overhead costs of operating a clinic, which are rising every year, and our fees don’t increase to keep up, the difference has to be made up somewhere and it comes out of the doctor’s pocket… it is getting harder and harder to operate a financially sustainable family medicine practice.
Tags: budget, Health, ideology, jurisdiction
Posted in Health Delivery System | No Comments »
Ontario’s registered nurses are getting new prescribing powers — and some doctors aren’t happy about it
Tuesday, November 7th, 2023
Registered nurses will be able to independently prescribe and administer some medications — such as those for smoking cessation, immunizations and topical anesthetics for pain relief and wound care… Nurses who wish to participate must complete additional specialized education, for which registration is expected to begin in January… the change… will help make it easier for patients to get care while also reducing wait times at community clinics and hospitals.
Tags: Health, jurisdiction, pharmaceutical
Posted in Health Policy Context | No Comments »
National Pharmacare – Time to Get on With It
Friday, November 3rd, 2023
The federal government can act as a catalyst by making a credible and responsible financial commitment that opens the door to joint work with provinces and territories to improve public plan coverage. The PEI agreement is a good model and federal legislation can help to create a positive foundation for collaboration. The political window to move things forward is open, but not for long.
Tags: featured, Health, ideology, jurisdiction, mental Health, pharmaceutical, standard of living
Posted in Health Debates | No Comments »
The Liberals have a chance to make headway on pharmacare. They should seize the opportunity
Thursday, November 2nd, 2023
Hoskins had recommended that a universal program begin with essential medicines, which would initially cost the government $3.5 billion to $4.5 billion. The NDP insists on a single-payer universal system but acknowledges it can’t be done in one fell swoop. It has demanded that timelines for progress be enshrined in legislation. If all this leads to a “foundational” piece of legislation and a firm road map going forward, that will be welcome and significant progress in a time of economic uncertainty.
Tags: budget, disabilities, economy, featured, pharmaceutical, standard of living
Posted in Health Debates | No Comments »
Canada has more doctors than ever — but access is worse. Why is that?
Thursday, November 2nd, 2023
Governments may fund primary health care, but they don’t make the work rules. Those are made mainly by doctors. Medicare still makes sense. Public payment reduces administrative costs while eliminating financial barriers. But because of Medicare’s policy legacies, even doubling the number of doctors would not provide the access we deserve. We need to change the way physicians do their work.
Tags: Health, ideology, jurisdiction
Posted in Health Delivery System | 2 Comments »