Evidence Network

A primer on the legal challenge between Cambie Surgeries Corporation (led by Dr. Brian Day) and British Columbia — and how it may affect our healthcare system

“Medicare,” provides public funding for all medically necessary hospital and physician services.

Notre système de santé néglige la santé buccodentaire des adultes dépendants et les conséquences sont tragiques

Il faut améliorer la prestation des soins d’hygiène dentaire dans les hôpitaux, le secteur des soins à domicile et les services de longue durée Une version de ce commentaire est parue dans Huffington Post Quebec Il y a quelques années, un professeur d’université à la retraite s’est présenté dans mon cabinet. Il était en bonne santé […]

Our health system neglects the oral health of dependent seniors with tragic consequences

Why we need improved oral health in hospital, home care and long-term care services A version of this commentary appeared in the Winnipeg Free Press, the Huffington Post and the Waterloo Region Record Some years ago, a retired university professor visited my dentistry practice. He was fit and had a pleasant smile. He hadn’t seen […]

Is waiting longer for new prescription drug approvals necessarily a bad thing?

The newest report from Canada’s brand name drug makers on access to new drugs has one key message: compared to other countries, Canada goes slow and low. New drugs are slower to be covered by our provincial drug plans and the numbers of people who get access to new drugs are lower than in other countries.

Why we should think twice before we institutionalize national pharmacare

Amalgamation always seems like a good idea. Greater Victoria has 13 municipalities, 13 councils, oodles of separate fire and police departments and multiple separate teams of garbage-persons, road fixers, parks maintainers and others that you need to keep our cities humming.

Four things needed to make pharmacare work for Canadians

A growing number of health professionals, patients, community groups and even politicians are calling for national pharmacare. But many Canadians likely wonder what pharmacare is and whether Canada is ready for it.

Why is it so hard to get help for mental illness in Canada

In Canada, only one in five people with depression gets appropriate treatment. And in Ontario, only one in three patients discharged from psychiatric hospitalization will get a follow-up within the month. Why is Canada doing so poorly in helping people with mental illness?

Why Canadian employers waste $5 billion a year on inefficient drug coverage

Employers in Canada spend an estimated 5 billion dollars a year on drug coverage for their employees. Yet, private plans are notoriously inefficient and they often cover higher priced drugs that are not necessarily better for consumers’ health, explains Alan Cassels.

Why employers in Canada waste $5 billion a year on inefficient drug coverage

There is certainly a lot of waste in health systems, but one area that seems to have escaped close scrutiny is the waste in private drug plans in Canada. To put it simply, that waste is gut-churning.

How a national drug plan can boost the Canadian economy

Canadians pay among the highest costs per capita among OECD countries for prescription drugs, with one Canadian out of 10 unable to fill their prescriptions because of financial reasons.