Researchers seek to improve paid home-care work
This week’s edition of who is saying what about public health care is compiled by Pat Van Horne.
Public home-care should be community centrepieces
“The push is clearly on for more care to be provided in the home, the result of government cutbacks, aging populations, and a shortage of seniors housing and nursing homes. To date, that responsibility (and unpaid work) largely falls to individuals and families, mostly women… Unsurprisingly, pressure is growing on governments to deliver more workers and funding for home-care. But, it’s also getting harder to find people willing to deal with the dismal working conditions in home-care… For-profit temp agencies provide home-care and they’re on the rise. This carries the risk of new forms of indentured service for migrant caregivers, as witnessed in other jurisdictions. It also raises concerns about working conditions for others working in home-care… There are public, non-profit home-care programs in most of Canada, at no or minimal cost. But waiting lists are long. These could — and should — become the centrepiece in our communities if given a new priority, proper funding and creative new approaches,” wrote Laurel Ritchie, Marjorie Griffin Cohen, Armine Yalnizyan and Canadian Health Coalition board member Pat Armstrong, all members of the CareEconomy.ca, in the Toronto Star, July 15, 2024
Premiers should support pharmacare, says Health Institute director
“If the premiers want to get together in Halifax and really have a serious discussion, they should be talking about how they can support pharmacare instead of opposing it,” said Matthew Herder, director of the Health Justice Institute, Dalhousie University, the Toronto Star, July 16, 2024
Ontario premier calling for timely access to life-saving drugs, but silent on how to pay for them
“Currently, patients in Canada wait almost two years for life-saving breakthrough medicines, a year longer than in other countries, placing us last in the G7,” read a statement from the Ontario Premier’s Office in advance of the Council of the Federation meetings this week, iPolitics, July 15, 2024
New Brunswick 5-year health care plan 75% done, says health minister
“The provincial health plan cannot be implemented without ensuring we have the health-care professionals in place to deliver services New Brunswickers need, when they need them. . .That is why we have made it a priority to increase opportunities to train in New Brunswick for careers in nursing and medicine, and to implement innovative programs to bring in internationally educated health-care workers,” said New Brunswick Health Minister Bruce Fitch, CTV News Atlantic, July 10, 2024
Stigma results in lack of access to lung cancer screening for many Canadians
“Lung cancer kills more people than breast, prostate and colon cancer combined… Clearly it’s a socially stigmatized disease. Even though it is this number one killer, and it’s a terrible disease, we just can’t seem to get it over the line,” said Christian Finley, a thoracic surgeon at McMaster University, The Globe and Mail, July 16, 2024
Alberta premier not biting on national dental plan
“Health care planning and delivery is an area of provincial jurisdiction, and the new federal plan infringes upon this exclusive jurisdiction… If a new health program was to be developed by the federal government, it should be done in full collaboration with provinces and territories, and discussions should have occurred before these intentions were announced. Unfortunately, this did not occur,” said Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, to CBC News, July 8, 2024
Saskatchewan nurses say new payroll system a mess, despite administrator’s assurances
“We heard very quickly from members a myriad of problems that were happening: people not being paid properly, it being very onerous to try to check to see if banks were being properly taken care of . . .When we’re in a nursing shortage, why would we put up barriers [for] a registered nurse now? Where are they supposed to have time to figure out their pay?” said Tracy Zambori, president Saskatchewan Union of Nurses, CBC Saskatchewan, July 10, 2024
Montreal Lake Cree Nation celebrates facility opening
“Today the Montreal Lake Cree Nation realized a dream of delivering quality, holistic health care services to the nation 24 hours all year round. This grand opening celebrates our new health facility where everyone is treated with respect and dignity,” said Chief Joyce Nayatowhow McLeod Montreal Lake Cree Nation, in a joint press release with Indigenous Services Canada, July 10, 2024
Canada’s health care system is underfunded, ill-designed, says Order of Canada recipient
“There’s a moral problem recruiting physicians from less-wealthy countries… We tend to do that, and shut our eyes to the depravation that produces in those countries… Once somebody is here and they’ve been through the hurdles of immigration, then we need to figure out ways to facilitate their entry to practice, but active recruitment of physicians from poorer countries is completely immoral, in my way of thinking… We’re wealthy. We should be educating our own young people to be physicians, not stealing them from South Africa, Eastern Europe or India,” said Dr. John Cairns, former dean of medicine at the University of British Columbia, The Vancouver Sun, July 16, 2024
