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British
Columbia
SURREY —
Saying you're Surrey
After some patient complaints about maternity
care at the Surrey Hospital's emergency and obstetric
wards back in November 2004, the government is ready
to do something about it. BC Health Services Minister
Shirley Bond announced a report by BC Patient Safety
Task Force Chair Dr D Douglas Cochrane with recommendations
for improving the hospital. Some of the actions recommended
in the report include a better system for monitoring
obstetrical complications, and stepping up the recruitment
of much needed staff. LD
VANCOUVER
— A
wave of generosity Even though Tim McBride, CEO
of Nettwerk records, is no pop star himself, he has
won an elated new fan in Dr David Morley of Doctors
Without Borders. Mr McBride is organizing a benefit
concert for tsunami earthquake victims, and along with
Oxfam Canada, CARE Canada and War Child, Dr Morley's
charity will reap the fruits of the evening's musical
labour. Artists on the bill include Sarah Mclaughlin,
Avril Lavigne and the Barenaked Ladies. The concert
is set to take place on January 29 in Vancouver, with
a Calgary show slated for January 31. LD
Alberta
CALGARY —
Inviting the hand
that feeds you The opposition Liberals were up
in arms this month when Premier Ralph Klein delivered
a speech on healthcare reform to a private corporate
audience in Calgary, rather than addressing the public
at large. Mr Klein defended his actions by claiming
that while he indeed discussed the direction of healthcare
reform, no policy decisions were made. The premier recently
stated that he believes Albertans should be able to
purchase their healthcare in the same way they shop
for cars. GE
Saskatchewan
REGINA —
Beds are blooming
Six beds have opened in a new 14-bed medical
diagnostic recovery unit at the Regina General Hospital
this week, and it is hoped that the additional beds
will help reduce surgical and diagnostic waiting lists.
Administrative director for the cardiosciences program,
Val Roy, noted that there will be eight additional medical
diagnostic recovery beds opened later this month —
expanding outpatient surgery capacity by 30%. TJ
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Manitoba
WINNIPEG —
No flip-flop on
Flin Flon facility Last December Health Minister
Tim Sale announced that his NDP government would open
five primary-care health centres in the province's north.
True to his word, a new $950,000 facility has opened
in The Pas with more to follow in the Northern municipalities
of Flin Flon, Waterhen, Riverton and Camperville. The
centres will offer a range of services from diabetes
care, mental healthcare, primary care, to smoking-cessation
services. HA
Ontario
THUNDERBAY —
A killer painkiller
With its growing popularity and excruciating
withdrawal symptoms, some experts are beginning to think
oxycodone could be linked to the recent rise in Ontario
suicides. The $40 a pop painkiller is rapidly becoming
the province's street drug of choice, and consequently
has made pharmacies prime targets for thievery. Ontario's
chief coroner Dr Barry McLellan, who's deeply concerned
with the problem, noted, "Over the five years between
1999 and 2003 we saw a four-to-five fold increase in
oxycodone deaths and suicides." JJM
TIMMINS
— High
tech Timmins Thanks in part to a new state-of-the-art
Siemens 1.5 tesla MRI scanner — the first of its
kind in Canada — recently announced by The Timmins
and District Hospital, Timmins is fast becoming a major
health centre in Ontario. Medical director of MRI Dr
Pat Garces says it will allow for many new services
to be offered to patients related to examining for breast
cancer, vascular diseases, as well as sports medicine
injuries. Dr Garces likened the upgrade to the sort
of gear offered at swank American teaching hospitals
like the Mayo Clinic and Duke University Health Centre.
JJM
TORONTO
— An
ounce of SARS prevention A recent study conducted
by hospital staff at the Toronto University Health Network
and published in the Canadian Journal of Public Health,
revealed that costs for dealing with the 2003 SARS outbreak
at their hospital alone topped $12 million. Some costs
included in the figure are spending for infection control,
salaries for additional specialists needed for SARS
screening, miscellaneous SARS equipment, and lost revenues
from businesses inside the hospital. "It's a true fact,"
noted Dr Allison McGreer of Toronto's Mount Sinai Hospital.
"It's always cheaper to prevent than to deal with outbreaks.
Much cheaper." JJM
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