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British
Columbia
Safe-injection site's
future unsafe
VANCOUVER —
As the expiry on June 30 of Insite's licence to operate
approaches, efforts to salvage the safe-injection site
are gaining momentum. Two lawsuits against the federal
government finally reached BC courts in late April,
and a Health Canada expert advisory panel report released
last month appeared to justify an extension of the federal
exemption necessary to keep Insite open. But a lawyer
for the feds charged that the lawsuits are little more
than a way to "constitutionally protect the illegal
use of drugs by drug addicts."
Alberta
'Rockin' Ron' turns
down the volume
EDMONTON —
When Health Minister Ron Liepert finally announced his
new vision for Alberta's healthcare system in mid-April,
experts and analysts were largely unimpressed. Despite
pre-election promises of major changes, Mr Liepert's
plans turned out to be more conservative than progressive,
charged provincial Liberal and NDP politicians. The
most important aspects of the plan are a promise to
conduct a review of the regional administration system,
a bulk-buying strategy for drugs and improved mental
health and addictions services.
Hot
Spot
Saskatchewan
Privacy violations
rife
MOOSE JAW —
Gary Dickson has had a bad couple of months. Mr Dickson,
the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Saskatchewan,
was still trying to deal with the discovery in Yorkton
in March of up to 900 abandoned medical files when,
in early April, 2,000 more abandoned records were found
in a Moose Jaw office building. Worst of all, said Mr
Dickson, was finding a completed sexual assault kit
among the Moose Jaw files. His office is now investigating
the two cases to determine which doctors were responsible
for the records.
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Manitoba
Gunshot wound reporting
proposed
WINNIPEG —
New legislation introduced in mid-April would require
doctors and nurses to report gunshot and stab wounds
to their administrators. Despite some legitimate concerns
— "What if you cut yourself while you're cutting
your bagel in the morning? Is that a stab wound? Technically
it could be," ER doc Merril Pauls mused to CBC News
— Attorney General Dave Chomiak says mandatory
reporting would help police solve cases. And the bagel
wound? Not reportable under his law.
Ontario
Teen addicts left
bedless
TORONTO —
Eighty-six beds for teen drug addicts across Ontario
aren't enough, a coalition of addicts' parents said
in April. The group, called Tragically O-HIP, has accused
the province of simultaneously failing to treat those
in need while foisting off costs of private treatment
on families.
Gov't
worker accused in OHIP fraud
TORONTO —
Noticed any money missing, doctor? Ontario police have
arrested 38-year-old Ontario Health Ministry employee
Christopher Daniel for allegedly stealing payments intended
for physicians, the Canadian Press reported last month.
He was arrested after several doctors complained to
the ministry that they hadn't received their dough.
Quebec
Quebec specialists
get political
MONTREAL —
Proposed federal legislation called the Unborn Victims
of Crime Act has attracted opposition across the
country, including very vocal protestations from the
Quebec Medical Specialists Federation. The law would
make it a crime to kill a fetus, but the physicians'
association is concerned there's an ulterior motive:
re-criminalizing abortion. President Dr Gaétan
Barrette calls it potential "subterfuge to grant separate
legal status to the fetus."
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