What are the best countries for Bariatric surgery

 Bariatric (obesity) surgery refers to surgical procedures designed to help individuals with severe obesity lose weight. These surgeries alter the digestive system to limit food intake and/or nutrient absorption.  Common types of bariatric surgery include: 1. Gastric Sleeve (Sleeve Gastrectomy): Involves removing a portion of the stomach, reducing its size

A Heartfelt Campaign

 A little more than a year ago, Ottawa’s Montfort Hospital Foundation launched a campaign to raise $2.5 million for a machine that would change the lives of people in need. The goal of the campaign – appropriately called For You, Sweet Heart – is to purchase a CT scanner featuring a

High rates of emergency and police services signal many adults and adolescents with autism in Canada are in crisis

 By Yona Lunsky and Jonathan Weiss Canadians routinely complain about the long wait times at hospital emergency rooms across the country – and health policy experts have long flagged the high costs associated with emergency services and the impact it has on the finances of our publicly funded health system.

What Should be Covered by our Publicly Funded Healthcare System?

 Patients and doctors need to learn the difference between ‘need’ and ‘want.’ All across Canada provincial governments are grappling with ever growing healthcare demands in the face of shrinking resources.  Our enviable publicly funded health system is now well into a downward spiral of unenviable disrepair.  As patients are becoming

Catastrophic pharmacare is a catastrophe

 Why the provinces don’t need $3 billion in federal tax dollars for flawed prescription drug policies Last week, the CD Howe Institute called on Ottawa to give provinces nearly $3-billion to establish national standards for catastrophic drug coverage and to mandate a system of transparent price negotiations with pharmaceutical drug

Why this U.S. Doctor is Moving to Canada

 I’m a U.S. family physician who has decided to relocate to Canada. The hassles of working in the dysfunctional health care “system” in the U.S. have simply become too intense. I’m not alone. According to a physician recruiter in Windsor, Ont., over the past decade more than 100 U.S. doctors

Patient-centred healthcare could reduce wait times and improve the Canadian health system

 By Robert Y. McMurtry Recently I had occasion to spend time in a busy community hospital in order to deal with my apparent adverse drug reaction.  Happily, full recovery ensued but the time spent in the Emergency Department (ED) and ward left a strong impression on me. When my wife

Better Health Together – How Technology is Transforming Health Care

 Dr. Ewan Affleck is a physician practicing in Canada’s Northwest Territories. The remoteness of communities, the vast distances and the inhospitable climate all make health care access a special challenge there. “Last year we moved 27 per cent of our patients for health-care purposes,” he says. “The question is, can

New Hospital Funding Model is a Leap of Faith

 Activity-based funding may discharge patients from hospital ‘quicker but sicker’ Most Canadians probably don’t realize that health care in Canada is quietly undergoing a major transformation in funding that could significantly impact patients.  Three provinces—Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia—are implementing a new funding model for hospitals and other provinces are

Ontario Spends More than $11 billion a Year on Prescription Drugs

 Why an income-based drug plan would not be good for Ontario’s economy or its seniors Ontario spends $11 billion per year on prescription drugs. Nearly half of this is spent on medicines used by senior citizens, a group that receives public subsidies for nearly all of their prescription drug costs

Private Delivery of Healthcare Can Work in a Publically Funded System but Comes with Risks

 What the rest of Canada can learn from Alberta’s experience If you look at an old map of Canadian healthcare policy, just near Privatization Island is a big warning: “Here be dragons.” So it proved for Alberta Health Services last month when a seemingly innocuous decision—to swap the tender for

Seeing Clearly: Canada’s Healthcare System Performs Well with a Human Touch

 I had cataract surgery last year--a terrifying prospect for a visual person. I love art and ocean views, and I was nervous about anyone working on my eyes. I delayed surgery a couple of times but finally committed. As it turned out, my surgery went fine. In fact, I loved

Five Things Most People Get Wrong About Canada’s Health-Care System

 By Kathleen O’Grady and Noralou Roos A recent court challenge before the British Columbia Supreme Court threatened to change the rules of the game for the Canadian health-care system—should the challenge have made its way to the Supreme Court of Canada and found success there. Dr. Brian Day of the

How Technology is Transforming Health Care – Cheryl-Anne’s Story

 Cheryl-Anne was diagnosed with a very rare form leukemia, a complex disease to understand. She believed part of getting well depended upon understanding her disease, her treatments and their effects. She needed to become a full, participating, engaged patient. She needed to get information. Before digital health tools were available

Report Card on Wait Times in Canada Omits Important Developments

 Canadians might have been inclined to take a sedative for an anxiety attack after reading about the Wait Time Alliance’s (WTA) 2014 report card on waits for medical care in Canada. The WTA gives Canada a failing grade on the structural changes it says are needed to have the timely

The Digital Health Highway

 Q How can technology help me manage my health and wellness? Most Canadians want access to digital health tools and capabilities for themselves and for their health care team, because they recognize that technology can help manage their health and wellness together. Clinicians are increasingly taking advantage of these tools