Why breastfeeding breaks for working moms pay off
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA—How many new moms in Canada and the U.S. will be able to participate in national breastfeeding week (Oct. 1-7)? In Canada and in the U.S., each for different reasons, it’s up to their employers. In most of the world, mothers and their children don’t need to rely on chance. Sixty-four per […]
Saving our health system means reining in costs for doctors, tests and drugs
OTTAWA—The Canadian Institute of Actuaries (CIA) recently painted a frightening portrait of Canadian health-care, with projected costs growing to the point where little money will be left in provincial budgets for anything else—roads, schools, jails. While the report is solid, it is gentle in identifying the real issues we need to tackle. The actuaries […]
Add healthy years to your life: stop acting like a man
VANCOUVER, B.C.—As November approaches, men across Canada will once again sport whiskered upper lips (perhaps to the chagrin of their companions) to raise awareness about prostate cancer and men’s mental health. The cause is a noble one—Prostate Cancer Canada estimates that 23,600 men in Canada will be diagnosed with the disease this year, and […]
A healthy strategy for kids
OTTAWA—Canadians are facing one of the most widespread health epidemics we’ve ever known. Among children, the incidence has doubled in a generation—and shows no signs of slowing down. In a much-lauded speech to the Canadian Medical Association in August, Health Minister Rona Ambrose focused on the federal government’s desire to ensure the long-term viability […]
Moving stem cell breakthroughs from the lab to the bedside
Chances are, you know someone who has benefitted from a stem cell treatment. Every day in North America, more than 1,000 people receive such therapies, most often to treat burns, ulcers, or other skin ailments, but also to treat a range of devastating blood disorders such as leukemia or multiple myeloma. With hundreds of […]
Time for another look at social factors that affect our health
SASKATOON, SASK.—Health care is only one element of what can make a significant difference in health outcomes, with social factors, such as education or affordable housing or a safe working environment, playing a much more significant role in determining whether we will be healthy or ill. This has been understood for centuries, and in […]
What doctor shortage?
VANCOUVER, B.C.—Earlier this year, the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development released the results of a survey of average waiting times for medical care in 25 countries. This was not a shining moment for Canada. The waits for most medical services are far longer here than in most of the comparator countries. […]
Success of digital health depends on all Canadians
OTTAWA—After more than a decade of hard work and collaboration, digital health is making treatment safer, more efficient, and, ultimately, better for Canadians. Consider the following: Use of electronic medical records (EMR) in community-based practices in Canada has yielded efficiency and patient care benefits valued at $1.3-billion since 2006. Drug information systems reduce […]
Why we need a national Lyme disease strategy
I know a health policy briefing should touch on all areas of health policy. We have critical issues ahead as we work to protect universal access to top-notch health care, reduce wait-times and drug costs, and meet the growing challenges of an aging population. The deficits in our mental health programs alone could occupy the […]
Federal will, leadership determinants of health
The 2004 Health Accord signed by prime minister Paul Martin and all premiers was not, as some have commented: “just throwing money at the problem.” During the Mulroney era and the consequent inherited deficit of the early 1990s, health-care transfers had suffered. Consequently, the ability of provinces to undertake some of the necessary transformative […]
