Health care without the nationalism
CALGARY—Public finance of health care is considered emblematic of Canadian values. Our public health system is what makes us Canadian. Any attempt to increase the private sector’s role in delivering health care is un-Canadian. This is the argument advanced by many public healthcare advocates. The trouble with this brand of health care nationalism is not […]
Global immunization efforts save millions of lives every year, new vaccines being developed
Immunization is generally thought to be the best and most cost-effective way to protect children from several life-threatening infectious diseases. Global immunization efforts save millions of lives every year, and new vaccines are being developed that promise to save many more. For example, new vaccines against rotaviruses, the leading cause of severe diarrhea in infants […]
Making medicare better
REGINA—We continually hear journalists and commentators say that public health care in Canada is unsustainable, often assuming the problem will be solved by moving costs from public budgets to household budgets. But over the past two decades, spending on private health care has grown far more rapidly than the cost of Canadian medicare—those insured services […]
‘An extraordinary year for health,’ says Aglukkaq
The following is a speech Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq delivered before the House Health Committee on Dec. 2 when the committee discussed Health Canada’s supplementary estimates. It was edited to fit the page. OTTAWA—This has been an extraordinary year for the health portfolio. Since I appeared before you on the main estimates in May, we […]
Government won’t cuts health transfers in next budget, says Aglukkaq
Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq says the timeliness of the government’s response to the H1N1 vaccine rollout in the fall “was exemplary,” but wants to better communicate its message next time around. She said the government will turn to its pandemic flu plan again in the future, is pleased that 45 per cent of the population […]
Canadians need to ask tough questions about future of healthcare:
If Canada’s healthcare system continues on the same path, some predict that in 25 years it will take up 100 per cent of provincial budgets, says the president of the Canadian Medical Association. “Canadian have to decide what it is they want, and that may mean looking at some of the basic principles. Do we […]
Looking at health differently: A population health approach
OTTAWA—In 2010, Canada should adopt a different approach to health. In 2008, we spent some $172-billion on our health in Canada, roughly 10 per cent of our GDP. This amount is 60 per cent higher than the previous decade, and is expected to increase. Despite the expenditures, serious health inequalities, the No. 1 health problem […]
Canadians should put money aside today for tomorrow’s healthcare costs
TORONTO—In almost all developed countries healthcare costs have grown faster than the economy over the past few decades. Canada is no exception. From 1982 to today, Canadian healthcare costs grew on average 6.9 per cent a year, while the economy grew on average by 5.7 per cent. This growth, coupled with tax reductions, has led […]
Canadians have no partner in Ottawa for health and health care
A recent poll by Nik Nanos in Policy Options confirmed that Canadians cherish their free, public, and universal health and healthcare systems. It found that “nine Canadians in 10 remain supportive of universal health care…the principle is simple and understood by virtually all Canadians—health care is universal, and it is delivered by a single insurer, […]
Time for government to stop stalling National Pharmaceutical Strategy
Dealing with the H1N1 pandemic has provided some revealing glimpses into the mechanics of our health system and into the government currently in charge of its operation. What we’ve witnessed hasn’t all been as pretty as the health minister would have us believe. What have we learned and where does it lead? Root causes—social determinants […]
