Budget 2024 was a missed opportunity for pharmacare
This week’s edition of who is saying what about public health care is compiled by Pat Van Horne.
Pharmacare should have been prioritized in federal budget
“Although opponents of national pharmacare argue most Canadians already have drug coverage, the fact is that about 1-in-5 Canadians have no prescription drug coverage or are effectively uninsured due to the cost of premiums, deductibles, and co-payments under plans they might qualify for. The consequences of these gaps in prescription drug coverage are devastating. . . Each year, millions of Canadians do not fill prescriptions written for them because they cannot afford the cost. . . This fragmented and unfair system is not only inhumane; it is unsustainable,” said Iris Gorfinkel, family doctor and founder of Prime Health Clinical Research in Toronto, Lauren Gorfinkel, an epidemiologist and researcher, and Steve Morgan, economist and professor of health policy at the University of British Columbia, Toronto Star, April 18, 2024
Privatization a growing threat to quality of health care in Canada
“Private equity ownership turns health care from a social good into a financial asset, extracting wealth for investors. There is no evidence that private equity ownership leads to systematic improvements in care. The primary focus is on financial gain for shareholders. . . Private equity firms are opaque and secretive. They don’t have to publicly disclose information about their finances, operations, business risks, or legal liabilities,” wrote Danyaal Raza, family doctor and former chair of Canadian Doctors for Medicare; and Karen Palmer, adjunct professor at Simon Fraser University and policy adviser to Canadian Doctors for Medicare in the Toronto Star, April 9, 2024
Alberta-based study indicates systemic racism against Indigenous patients
“The stories are incredibly powerful . . .First Nations people have said (that) sometimes it’s really obvious when there’s racism, but sometimes it’s not and it’s always present as a possibility,” said Patrick McLane, adjunct associate professor of emergency medicine, University of Alberta, and lead author of a study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, to The Canadian Press, April 23, 2024
More pain, no gain for rural health in Saskatchewan, says CUPE-funded study
“There needs to be an investment in rural health care. . . Temporary solutions aren’t necessarily going to change things long term,” said Nuell Novick, associate professor, University of Regina, Population Health and Evaluation Research Unit, to The Canadian Press, April 22, 2024
Happy Birthday Canada Health Act
“The federal government should require each province, in exchange for a federal contribution, to set down a public process for determining benchmarks for reasonable access, including metrics for timely access to primary care, elective procedures and emergency rooms. These benchmarks should be subject to periodic review and adjustment based on emerging evidence and best practices in health care delivery. This mechanism could support provincial voters to hold provinces accountable for ensuring reasonable access to health care, and in this way, the CHA could spur the growth, improvement and adaptation needed over time for our health care system,” wrote Colleen Flood, Dean, Faculty of Law, Queen’s University, in The Globe and Mail, April 17, 2024
Arbitration award gets it right for Ontario hospital workers
“Hospital workers can temporarily breathe a sigh of relief knowing their wages are going up six per cent over the next two years with this new contract.” said President of SEIU Healthcare, Sharleen Stewart.
“Today’s arbitration decision will lift the spirits of frontline hospital workers who are struggling with impossible workloads in a staff retention crisis,” added Michael Hurley, President of Ontario Council of Hospital Unions-CUPE, CityNews, April 19, 2024
Team-based approach catching on in New Brunswick
“While Vitalité Health Network has been very much in the news since the start of 2024, behind the scenes, efforts have continued so that we can rise above the challenges and stay on course for continuous improvement . . .In a way, these are pathways taken to support the necessary transformation of the health care system, brought about by an aging population, an increase in chronic diseases and the labour shortage,” said Dr. France Desrosiers, Vitalité president and CEO, to CBC News, April 23, 2024
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