BC reaches pharmacare agreement with feds. Who’s next?
This week’s edition of who is saying what about public health care is compiled by Pat Van Horne.
Federal government and BC agree on pharmacare, while Bill C-64 stalled in Senate
“BC made history as the first province in Canada to offer free coverage for prescription contraceptives. By partnering with the Government of Canada to fully cover contraceptives and diabetes medications, we can now reinvest these savings to improve coverage for hormone replacement therapy for people experiencing menopausal symptoms. This is another significant step toward increasing equity in health care, reducing financial barriers and helping more people to take control of their reproductive health,” said Adrian Dix, BC Minister of Health, in a joint news release with the Government of Canada, September 12, 2024
Health researchers decry funding levels in Canada
“For health research, Canada’s spending for the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) is fivefold less per capita than the United States National Institutes of Health (NIH) despite Budget 2024 announcing increases in the future. Most of the proposed increases are targeted for specific programs with less money for investigator-initiated discovery research. . . Canada will be unable to retain its already threatened cadre of outstanding health researchers if this trend continues. . . The pool of funds available is so small . . . that the majority of high quality and fundable proposals are not funded,” wrote Dr. Abraham Fuks, professor of medicine, McGill University, John Bergeron, professor of medicine, McGill, and Dr. Stanley Kutcher, independent senator for Nova Scotia, in The Hill Times, September 17, 2024
Health care still top of mind for Canadians, says pollster
“At Abacus Data, we’ve been tracking public sentiment closely, and the top issues remain consistent: affordability and health care. . .The cost of living, housing affordability, and access to health care dominate Canadians’ concerns. . . Over the past 18 months, our data has highlighted a growing “scarcity mindset” among Canadians. This mindset is characterized by a feeling that the essentials of life—from housing and food, to energy and health care—are becoming harder to obtain and, if lost, nearly impossible to recover. It’s not just about the rising costs; it’s about the sense that everything Canadians need and aspire for is slipping out of reach,” wrote David Coletto, CEO of Abacus Data, a public opinion and market research firm based in Ottawa and Toronto, in The Hill Times, September 16, 2024
Fewer patients at dentistry college shows federal dental program is working in Manitoba
“The government is aware and recognizes that financial barriers have been an element of why some patients chose to use school clinics for their treatment in the past . . .Increased access to care for Canadian residents eligible under the (program) has resulted in dental schools and other oral health professions’ educational institutions adjusting how they attract patients to their training clinics. . .Health Canada has and continues to be committed in working not only with the Association of Canadian Faculties of Dentistry, but with all oral health professions’ educational institutions to ensure the next generation of oral health professionals have the training they need to graduate ready to treat all patients,” said Health Canada spokesperson Tammy Jarbeau, to Winnipeg Free Press, September 16, 2024
Kids’ health overlooked by policies debated in Ottawa
“We must strive for more consistent and supportive policies that benefit kids throughout their development. A national strategy for child and youth health can serve as a framework for the way forward. . .At the end of the day, children’s health and well-being is an issue of great importance to all Canadians, irrespective of political ideology. By recognizing politics as a determinant of health, prioritizing evidence-based policies, and fostering collaboration between all politicians and experts, we can transform the future for kids in Canadak,” wrote Stelios Georgiades, director of the Offord Centre for Child Studies at McMaster University, and Ryan Voisin, managing director of the Inspiring Healthy Futures network, hosted by Children’s Healthcare Canada, in The Hill Times, September 17, 2024
Ontario plan doesn’t cover cost of test for prostate cancer
“We know that early detection can save lives. In fact, when detected early, nearly 100 per cent of the men with the disease will survive five years or longer. . .That’s why we are working so hard to pass the motion to pass my motion to have OHIP cover the cost of the PSA testing when referred to by a health care provider. This is common sense,” said MPP Wayne Gates (NDP, Niagara Falls) to CTV News, September 16, 2024
Canada to donate up to 200,000 doses of mpox vaccine
“We’d like to see Canada first be more transparent about its own supplies and its own needs . . .And then we’d like to see transparency on its plans for what it’s going to do with these vaccines. We think the priority is that vaccines should be shared,” said Adam Houston, medical policy and advocacy adviser for Médecins Sans Frontières Canada, to CTV News, September 11, 2024
New Brunswick kinesiologists say they could play a larger role in solving the health care crisis
“Physical inactivity is one of the most important factors that are driving health-care costs . . . Being physically active prevents dementia, it prevents certain types of cardiovascular diseases, certain types of cancer, osteoporosis,” said Grant Handrigan, professor of kinesiology at the Université de Moncton, who advocates for a more preventative approach to health care, CBC New Brunswick, September 17, 2024
Booze more important than health care in Ontario?
“You’d think this was the most pressing political issue of our time, that people were holding protests demanding the right to buy booze at their local corner store at 7 a.m., bleary-eyed in their pyjamas. . .Maybe they were. I haven’t met any of those people. I have met people who don’t have a family doctor… (Premier Doug) Ford has given Ontarians a handy map of all the new places where we can buy booze. Who needed this? Who asked for this? How about a map of family doctors in Ontario who are taking on new patients? Guess the wait isn’t over for that one,” said contributor Angelique Moss, to the Toronto Star, September 13, 2024
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