“A slap in the face,” says widow of lung transplant patient about medical fees
This week’s edition of who is saying what about public health care is compiled by Pat Van Horne.
Lung transplant patient dies, family must sell home to pay bills
“If there was any chance I could help save my husband’s life, I would’ve given everything, but it is something now that I’m facing. So it’s not just the patient. It’s the family,” said a grieving Verbena Brenton-Goguen to CBC, June 26, 2025
“It’s really a slap in the face, it truly is,” she said. “I do all the things a good person should try to do to support their province and, honestly, our province is not supporting us adequately by any means.”
About her late husband, Brenton-Goguen said, “He also believed that people should all be given the same rights, the same care, the same access to medical [care]. He would’ve fought right beside us. It’s definitely a cause we all believe in.”
Alberta judge issues temporary injunction against anti-trans gender health care bill
“The evidence shows that singling out health care for gender diverse youth and making it subject to government control will cause irreparable harm to gender diverse youth by reinforcing the discrimination and prejudice that they are already subjected to,” said Alberta Justice Allison Kuntz, holding back a law that bans doctors from providing treatment such as puberty blockers and hormone therapy to those under 16, Winnipeg Free Press, June 27, 2025
Indigenous people’s health care must include language revitalization
“Indigenous languages are so much more than words; they carry our laws, our stories and our knowledge systems that have sustained our nations since time immemorial,” said Johanna Sam, of the Tsilhqot’in Nation and an assistant professor in Education at the University of British Columbia, to CBC, June 28, 2025
Study says rural hospitals can lower demand for surgeries in urban centres
“Patients did great no matter who their surgeon was or where their surgery was, which shows that there’s room to grow high-quality rural health care in BC . . .That doesn’t mean all surgeries should be moved to small towns. But low-risk patients from across the province who need low-acuity surgeries and procedures, such as colonoscopies, hernia repairs, appendectomies or caesarean deliveries, could be given the choice of getting their surgery at a hospital near their home or travelling to a rural hospital. . . This would help lower the demand for operating rooms in larger urban centres, which would free up those teams to focus on the more complex or high-risk surgeries that they’re set up for,” said Jude Kornelsen, associate professor in the Department of Family Practice at the University of British Columbia, co-director of the Centre for Rural Health Research and lead author of new study on rural surgical outcomes, The Tyee, June 30, 2025
Doctors issue ultimatum in Newfoundland and Labrador
“It has become increasingly clear to them that continuing under the current model would further compromise patient safety and the already fragile well-being of the team . . . Newfoundland-Labrador Heath Services (NLHS) has consistently deferred responsibility and failed to provide any substantive plan to address this impending crisis,” wrote lawyer Kyle Rees and to the Newfoundland and Labrador’s health authority, to CBC, June 27, 2025
Primary care recommendations include relationships with providers
Despite differences in geography, age, and background, people largely agreed on what needs to change. They want a system where:
- Everyone has a relationship with a primary care clinician, who works with other health professionals in a publicly-funded team;
- Everyone receives ongoing care from their primary care team and can access them in a timely way;
- Everyone’s primary care team is connected to community and social services that together support their physical, mental and social well-being;
- Everyone can access their health record online and share it with their clinicians;
- Everyone receives culturally safe care that meets their needs from clinicians that represent the diversity of the communities they serve;
- Everyone receives care from a primary care system that is accountable to the communities it serves.
Dr. Tara Kiran, family physician and researcher at Toronto’s St. Michael’s Hospital and national lead of OurCare, wrote in the The Toronto Star, June 30, 2025
