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British Columbia
KAMLOOPS
—Hip chief
In an effort to reduce waiting times at the Royal Inland Hospital, the Interior
Health Authority is injecting $600,000 into a private Kamloops clinic. The Kamloops
Surgical Centre will start taking on day-surgery patients immediately. The clinic
will focus on orthopedics, cataracts, dental work and other surgeries that don't
require overnight stays. According to Thompson-Cariboo-Shuswap Chief Operating
Officer Al Martin, the funding will improve access to hip and knee surgeries.
LD VANCOUVER
— The kidneys of strangers
Antonia Henderson, a research psychologist at the BC Transplant Society, says
that her faith in human altruism has been restored after meeting two BC residents
who gave up their kidneys to save complete strangers, becoming the first living
Canadians to anonymously do so. North American stats have shown that living donor
transplants have higher success rates than those received from dying or dead donors.
However, ethical concerns such as selling one's body parts still remain a challenge.
LD Alberta
EDMONTON
— Gary not 'Mar-ed' by shuffle
Freshly re-elected Premier Ralph Klein says his decision to remove Gary Mar from
his position as health minister to the post of community development should not
be regarded as a demotion. Said Premier Klein, "I want someone seasoned and veteran
to carry us through the centennial year (Alberta turns 100 in 2005) and Gary is
the man." Mr Mar had been widely criticized for his department's handling of provincial
health cards, which were deemed too easy to obtain and use for identity theft.
He's considered by many to be a natural successor to Mr Klein. GE EDMONTON
— Sharps infestation The
city of Edmonton is cracking down on syringe disposal after several incidents
involving city workers being jabbed with used needles. The city has started a
campaign urging people to take used needles, lancets and syringes to participating
pharmacies. Peggy Berndt, spokeswoman for the Pharmacists' Association of Alberta,
warned, "this is not a pharmacy issue solely responsibility also lies with the
city, the province and with the sharps manufacturers." GE Contributors:
Hector Andrews, Simon Biggar, Donna Byers, Lance Davies, Geoff Everett, Jane George,
Brian Hoyle, Thane Jenkins, Julie J. Mercier, Deanna Stokes-Sullivan, Brent Woodford
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Saskatchewan
REGINA
— Medicare made him & vice
versa Just in time to mark his 100th birthday,
the late Tommy Douglas was voted the greatest Canadian ever in a CBC contest.
Mr Douglas is known primarily as the founding father of our universal health insurance,
which was first adopted in Saskatchewan and later applied nationwide by Lester
Pearson's Liberals. In 1944 Mr Douglas led the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation
(CCF) to electoral victory in the Saskatchewan election, forming the first socialist
government in North America. He did all this at a time when social welfare measures
were often cast as radical, dangerous and communistic. TJ
Manitoba
WINNIPEG
— You must be toking The
number of Manitobans who reported smoking marijuana since 1994 has nearly doubled,
says a newly released Health Canada report. According to the report, the rate
has jumped from 7.5% in 1994 to 14% last year. John Barody, chief executive officer
of the Addictions Foundation of Manitoba, in an attempt to explain the peculiar
and rapid rise, expostulated that beatnik baby boomer parents who came of age
during the permissive 60s and 70s, may be to blame. HA WINNIPEG
— Country docs rock Here's
some good news for rural Manitobans — Health Minister Tim Sale recently announced
that a cash blast of about $3 million is on the way to kick start several rural
projects. Among the projects receiving funds are cancer care programs in Deloraine
and Pinawa, a health centre near Morden and Winkler, and an expansion of Selkirk's
hospital surgery capacity. HA Ontario
TORONTO
— The kid is alright Djamshid
Popal, the 10-year-old boy from Afghanistan whose struggle for life captured the
hearts of millions across this country, has bade us farewell. When the young Djamshid
arrived at the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, three of his four heart
valves were severely damaged. He was later transferred to Toronto's Hospital For
Sick Children where he received life-saving surgery. Before leaving, the boy lavished
praise and thanks on the Canadian medical staffs who treated him so well. JJM Toronto
— Recipient rehab The
St John's Rehabilitation Hospital in Toronto will now offer its services to organ
transplant patients in hopes of speeding up convalescence, reducing waiting times
in hospitals and freeing up more hospital beds for surgery. The Rehab Hospital
Centre program is set to be the largest in Canada and it's hoped that the facility
can serve up to 60 organ recipients per year. JJM
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