Stigma around end-of-life planning contributes to later life pain
Palliative care advocates are unsurprised by recent studies confirming the importance of advance care planning and say that federal and provincial health agencies have a role in raising public awareness around end-of-life care. A study recently published in the U.S. Journal of Clinical Oncology is the latest research to confirm that advanced discussions on […]
Banning generic version of OxyContin isn’t ‘true solution,’ experts say
Provincial calls for a federal ban on generic versions of the pain-reliever pill OxyContin is not a “true solution” to opioid drug abuse, say health experts who want the federal government to take on a “broader approach” to stemming addiction in Canada. “We don’t see prohibition as a true solution in this case. What […]
Med students call for federal action on health human resources management
Despite a record number of practising physicians, Canadians continue to face lengthy wait times, 15 per cent don’t have a family doctor, and a growing number of recently-trained specialists are facing unemployment. Medical students are the latest group to call on the feds to step up and play a leadership role in managing Canada’s […]
Playing violin for your health; lifestyle changes work when you choose something you love
CALGARY, ALTA.—Now that we’ve kicked off a new year, not a day passes without some news outlet asking me for tips on healthy living. What do I need to eat more (or less) of? What type of exercise is best and how many minutes a day do I need? My answer generally comes down […]
Baby boomers looking to right public health care, not drain it
CALGARY, ALTA.—Should we baby boomers be feeling guilty now that everyone else seems to have finally clued in to the developed world’s worst-kept secret: there are lots of us, we didn’t have enough children of our own to replenish the taxpayer base, and we didn’t contribute enough in taxes to cover our future health […]
Governments keep saying they’re going to ‘fix’ health-care system
Governments keep telling Canadians how they are going to “fix” the health-care system. Yet many problems are actually getting worse, including longer wait-lists for diagnosis and surgery, over-crowded emergency rooms, and increasing shortages of family doctors. While in general we are living longer, there are worrying developments. Particularly disturbing is the numbers of illnesses […]
A sustainable ‘supply and needs-based’ HHR Strategy is not just a numbers game
The Canadian Institute of Health Information (CIHI) reports that the supply of physicians is increasing at the same rate as in the 1980s, three times the rate of the population. While this is encouraging given the physician shortage, this should not be taken at face-value, given that there are currently three million Canadians without […]
It’s time to reduce our national consumption of salt
What if I told you about a common-sense step that would save thousands of lives each year, reduce the burden on our health-care system, and cost next to nothing to implement? What if this step was already in place in leading industrialized nations? I am putting forward a private member’s bill that would progressively […]
Health Canada, Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse working on a strategy to address prescription drug abuse
The abuse of prescription drugs, including oxycodone, is a serious and complex problem that destroys the lives of individuals and the fabric of communities. These drugs help to alleviate the suffering of many Canadians, and have emerged as an important part of pain management under the supervision of health-care professionals. But opioids are also […]
Dawson makes new guideline in Flaherty case
OTTAWA—So the ethics commissioner has ruled that a cabinet minister should not write to the CRTC in their role as a cabinet minister. The case involves Finance Minister Jim Flaherty who intervened on behalf of Durham Inc., owned by constituent Doug Kirk, in a competition of 13 applicants for a radio station in the […]
