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British
Columbia
Psych bed shortage
in north
VANCOUVER —
A shortage of acute care psychiatric beds in BC is creating
a crisis for mentally ill patients. Suicidal patients
are often sent home to fend for themselves, or shipped
off to jail via a police car. Some doctors in smaller
northern towns have been forced to send patients to
Alberta for assessment because of extremely long wait
times, reports the Globe and Mail. "It's a big
problem. I think it's far worse than health authorities
realize," Barb Towes of the Canadian Mental Health Association
told the Globe. The government has yet to offer
any sort of solution to the problem. LD
Care
brokers to the rescue
VANCOUVER —
BC residents tired of the long wait times for joint
replacement surgeries have another option — care
brokers. These brokers arrange surgeries south-of-the-border
for residents willing to foot the bill for timely operation.
In some cases costs are close to $40,000. The feds are
looking to put healthcare guarantees in place to assure
surgery gets done in a timely fashion. Until these guarantees
can be meet British Columbians will continue to use
brokers to get the care they need. LD
Alberta
AMA pushes for care
guarantees
EDMONTON —
Out-going Alberta Medical Association (AMA) President,
Dr Jane E Ballantine, said that care guarantees should
become a part of Alberta's "Third Way" in a speech during
the association's 100th annual general meeting. "Government
needs to ensure that the resources and infrastructure
are in place so that physicians and other healthcare
professionals can do what is needed," she explained
in a public statement. Dr Ballantine isn't the first
to stand behind the idea of care guarantees. The Mazankowski
report endorses it, as do the provincial premiers. The
Romanow Report is one of the few opponents and rejects
putting the individual above the system. GE
Saskatchewan
Wait times on the
decline
REGINA —
Provincial Health Minister John Nilson may be in the
national spotlight now that he's teamed up with Federal
Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh on the National Health
Care Awareness Strategy, but that shouldn't overshadow
his efforts at home. Surgical wait times in Saskatchewan
are down. Hospitals in major centres like Saskatoon
and Regina are performing more procedures, according
to new data from the Saskatchewan Surgical Care Network.
As of the end of June 2005 there were 29,400 Saskatchewanians
on waiting lists — that's 3,200 less than the year
before. TJ
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Manitoba
Setback for freedom
of choice
WINNIPEG —
Looks like the province of Manitoba has bought some
time in its legal battle against women who want safe
and funded abortions at private clinics. Justice Barbara
Hall of the Manitoba Court of Appeal ruled that a trial
is needed due to the complex charter issues of the case
that will allow the province to fund private abortions.
In July 2004, the province had announced that it would
fully fund abortions performed at Jane's Clinic, formerly
the Morgentaler Clinic. This set off debate that may
well come to an end with the court case. Manitoba and
New Brunswick remain the only two provinces that don't
fund abortions outside hospitals. HA
Ontario
Thirteen months
later
TORONTO —
George Smitherman, Ontario's health and longterm care
minister, recently spoke to healthcare professionals
in Toronto. His speech updated those in attendance on
the progress the Liberals are making on their "transformative
change" of Ontario's healthcare system. Mr Smitherman
provided facts and figures on a series of accomplishments
that have been made on the reform agenda. The minister
was particularly proud of his government's record of
reducing wait times and the funding of circa 240,000
additional procedures. JJM
Cash
for snowmobiling and hikingi
TORONTO —
Ontario's new Minister of Health Promotion, Jim Watson,
is a busy man. Since taking on the job last June, Mr
Watson has made a series of quirky announcements, even
coining the catch phrase "fat is the new tobacco." His
most recent effort is to give $3.5-million to improve
recreation facilities such as hiking and snowmobiling
trails. Of the 75 people present at the time of the
announcement, only one, (a lonely Globe and Mail
reporter), wasn't part of the lobby groups who pushed
for this new policy. JJM
Contributors: Hector
Andrews, Simon Biggar, Donna Byers, Lance Davies, Geoff
Everett, Thane Jenkins, Paige Lee, Julie J Mercier,
Deana Stokes Sullivan and Henrietta Yan
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