Canada must learn lessons from Belgium on assisted dying legislation

 By Trudo Lemmens While we were debating in Canada the potential expansion to our Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) law, a criminal trial concluded in Belgium against three physicians involved in the death of Tine Nys. Diagnosed in 2010 at age 37 with Asperger’s, Nys received MAID under Belgium’s liberal

Be careful, Canada — lessons from the Irish healthcare system

 Be careful what you wish for, Canada. One way or the other, Canadian courts are about to take some key decisions about the role of private financing and practice in your healthcare system; the on-going Cambie trial in British Columbia is just the latest attempt to overturn fundamental components of

The need for innovation in public health care

 By Dr. Melanie Bechard and Dr. Ali Damji On November 18, 2019, the Supreme Court of British Columbia will begin to hear closing arguments in a case that will decide the future of Canada’s health care system. In 2016, the for-profit Cambie Surgeries Corporation launched a constitutional challenge against B.C.’s

If we are lucky! – Some thoughts on the care of seniors

 If we are lucky, we are all going to get old one day. We will be called seniors at age 65, or perhaps even at age 55. Membership in this group cuts across all races, genders, creeds, sexual orientations and linguistic or ethnic identities. If we are really lucky our

Why is healthcare the last service industry to go virtual?

 By: Emily Seto Have you noticed how there are no more lines to talk to live tellers in banks?  Twenty years ago, I remember having to think about scheduling my time to wait in line to do my banking and trying to strategize going at non-peak hours. Today, on the

National Pharmacare simply makes cents

 By: Keith Newman, board member with the Canadian Health Coalition Will the federal government establish a national public drug plan? Our universal system of health care now covers doctors and hospitals and we are rightly proud of it. It’s time to include prescription drugs. Every other high-income country with universal public health

Social assistance programs in Canada falling behind

 By: Arjumand Siddiqi and Odmaa Sod-Erdene Public health researchers have long known that poverty and poor health are linked, but new evidence suggests that social assistance – the government system designed to provide those in poverty with income support – is not succeeding at protecting health. Using data from national government

Treating Health Care: How the Canadian System Works and How It Could Work Better

 Treating Health Care • How the Canadian System Works and How It Could Work Better By Raisa B. Deber 194 pages • ISBN 978-1487521493 Canada has been among the world leaders in recognizing the multiple factors that impact health. Focusing on Canada’s health care system, Raisa B. Deber provides brief

More isn’t always better when it comes to prescription medications

 Canadians are living longer than ever, and we are also taking more medications than ever before. And this can make us sicker, not healthier. A report released last week by the Canadian Institute for Health Information found that one in four seniors in Canada are taking 10 or more medications.

Prevention decreases demands on the health system: We can’t afford to ignore this

 Provincial Ministers of Health and Ministers of Finance seek to “bend the health care cost curve” but year after year, provincial budgets bend the cost curve in the wrong direction, adding billions of dollars to provincial health spending.    In fact, we’ve doubled spending on our medical treatment system in Canada

Ontario likely has enough doctors – if we make better use of our other health workers

 Does Ontario have enough doctors?  This question may have a surprising answer for some: yes, we may have enough doctors.  How is this possible when many don’t have a doctor or wait days, weeks or even months for a medical appointment?  We have more doctors than ever before, but many

Cheap, fast, good – pick two? How to shorten hospital wait times in Canada

 Long wait times are the vulnerable soft underbelly of the Canadian health system. Canadians treasure our single-payer, publicly funded program of physician and hospital care, virtually as a defining part of our national identity. And yet, increasing legal and political pressure over quick access to elective surgeries -- cataract extraction

More spending on health care is an expensive way to buy health

 It’s budget season and Canadian provincial governments are continuing the tradition of spending more on health care than any other single portfolio. For example, Alberta spends almost half of its provincial budget on health – an estimated $22 billion this year – which is more than any other ministry. After

The skinny on weight-loss and other health scams

 We've all seen the ads, on the sides of websites and on our social media feeds: “Doctors hate her,” or “One weird tip to melt belly fat.” They seem too good to be true, which is because they absolutely are. These frauds offer little to nothing in terms of actual

REPORT: Universal Pharmacare Would Save Canadians Billions

 "All Canadians, including employers, would benefit from a national pharmacare program. Such a program would be the next phase of our health care system as envisioned by Tommy Douglas."  These are the words of  Ken Neumann, National Director for Canada, United Steelworkers and they come at a time when all Canadians

Putting patients first can save our health system

 By: Kapil Khimdas and Danyaal Raza  It’s no secret: Ontario is getting older. The number of seniors in our province has been steadily increasing and over the next twenty years, will double.  Including factors like increased use of health services and evolving technology, this will result in a substantial increase

National Pharmacare Makes Sense, So Why Don’t We Have It?

 Every developed country in the world with universal healthcare also provides universal coverage of prescription drugs. Well, except Canada. A national public drug plan, or Pharmacare as it’s more commonly called, has been in the works since the 1960s, when the Royal Commission on Health Services recommended its introduction following

Antibiotics: Are they bad for you?

 "My family physician wants me to take another antibiotic for this cold that won’t go away, but I have read that antibiotics may damage my gut and may even make me put on weight,” a client asked me just the other day. “I’ve read conflicting reviews, and I know you’ve

Correct Me If I’m Wrong – Episode 1: You Can’t Account For Stupid

 Ottawa Life Magazine Publisher and Managing Editor Dan Donovan provides commentary on some of the big issues of the day with a witty and at times sarcastic look at our political masters and their zany ideas. In the series' first episode, a segment called "You Can't Account for Stupid," he tackles Frankenstein

Medicine is Not Just a Science, It’s an Art

 Why a good conversation with your doctor is good for your health By Lynn Wilson Many people see physicians as experts in “the science” of medicine. In my three decades of practising as a family physician, I have learned that being an expert in “the art” of medicine is of

Ottawa Physicians Create Award-winning Platform, Curb Wait Times

 Group now wants to help shorten wait times in NWT Ottawa – Governments have spent decades and billions of dollars trying to resolve health care’s stubborn wait times issue.  It’s a problem that money alone cannot resolve, according to Health Minister Jane Philpott, who touts innovation and better collaboration between

Something is Really, Really Wrong in Ontario

 A creeping arrogance and sense of entitlement has seeped its way into the depths of the Government of Ontario. At a fundamental level, they do not seem to understand the value of a taxpayer’s dollar. Ontario is 315 billion dollars in debt, and is paying a billion dollars a month

What Kind of Health Workforce Will Be Needed to Serve Our Aging Population?

 By Gregory Huyer and Ivy Lynn Bourgeault We know that Canada’s population is aging. Among the many statistics that have been reported is how in 2015, the proportion of Canadian seniors surpassed that of youth under 15 for the first time. The gap will continue to widen over the next

Reforming Healthcare Funding to Address the Needs of Our Aging Population

 Why we need a publicly funded insurance program for home care and long-term care By Réjean Hébert Funding home care and long-term care is fast becoming the main challenge of our outdated medicare system – a system developed in the mid-twentieth century for a young population that mostly required acute

Safe, Secure and Affordable Housing is a Health Issue: Why Canada Needs a National Housing Strategy Now

 "Social factors, like housing, income and wealth, educational background and race are more powerful determinants of health outcomes than our behaviours, genes or even the healthcare system." When you're feeling unwell, whether from a minor cold or a devastating terminal illness, the feeling of home, the desire for a safe