Missed opportunities
The Correctional Investigator of Canada — Canada’s top prison watchdog, Howard Sapers — will soon be leaving his post at the request of the federal government as they exercise their right to appoint a replacement.
Our healthcare system designed for the convenience of practitioners, not patients
We have built a sickness care system rather than a health system A version of this commentary appeared in the Globe and Mail, the Huffington Post and Ottawa Life This convocation speech was delivered to graduating MDs at the University of Manitoba on the receipt of an honorary doctorate. Mr. Chancellor, Mr. President, distinguished guests, soon-to-be […]
The real costs of informal caregiving in Canada
The phenomenon is not exactly marginal: according to a recently released government report, one in every three workers in Canada is assisting a chronically disabled person — many of them seniors — with transportation, household maintenance or day-to-day tasks.
Is it fair to make a public appeal for a live organ donor?
The public response to the appeal on behalf of Eugene Melnyk, owner of the Ottawa Senators hockey team, for a liver donor has been a heart-warming demonstration of the generosity of our community. Fortunately, a donor was found and the transplant was performed in time to save his life.
The other drug problem in Canada’s cities
Canada’s cities face a number of problems: traffic, housing, crime, infrastructure – the list goes on. Prescription drugs are one of these problems – one that is costing local governments as much as $500-million every year.
Canada has mixed wait time results in healthcare
Wait times have long been a source of concern for Canadians, and in some jurisdictions, remain a significant problem. Recently the Canadian Institutes of Health Information (CIHI) released their report for 2015. There is both encouraging news and areas in need of attention.
Four things you should know about the pending Charter challenge against medicare
A long-running dispute between Dr. Brian Day, the co-owner of Cambie Surgeries Corporation and the British Columbia government may finally be resolved in the BC Supreme Court this year — and the ruling could transform the Canadian health system from coast to coast.
Social change: At the heart of medicine
Recently, I was fortunate to attend the Global Symposium on the Role of Physicians and National Medical Associations in Addressing Health Equity and the Social Determinants of Health held in London, England.
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.
How to make the social determinants of health matter
Recently, I was fortunate to attend the Global Symposium on the Role of Physicians and National Medical Associations in Addressing Health Equity and the Social Determinants of Health held in London, England. The meeting was organized by the Canadian, British and World Medical Associations and had, among other goals, an agenda to assist public health pioneer Sir Michael Marmot in making such issues central to his upcoming role as president of the World Medical Association.
