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British
Columbia
VANCOUVER —
ActNow!
With the 2010 Winter Olympics approaching, Gordon Campbell's
Liberals are hoping that the general BC population will
train right along with the athletes — and trim
his government's expanding healthcare budget waistline
in the process — with a program called ActNow!
The government's simple decree is for folks to get out
and exercise at least 30 minutes a day and eat more
fruit and veggies. Despite the fact that BC leads the
nation in terms of longevity, physical activity and
non-smoking rates, Premier Campbell admonished his people,
insisting they can do even better. LD
VICTORIA
— Woman
knees BC gov't A BC woman fed up with what she
feels are unreasonably long waiting lists for surgery
is heading down to Washington to sample the American
healthcare dream. She hopes the gesture will send a
stern message to Premier Gordon Campbell that in terms
of waiting lists, the situation is critical. Fifty-seven-year-old
Christine Anderson is set to undergo emergency knee
surgery in early April in Seattle. She says the $30,000
US she's shelling out is worth every penny to make her
point. To have the surgery done closer to home, she'd
face a one to two year wait. LD
Alberta
CALGARY —
Smells like
community spirit The medical community of Calgary
is coming together in the biggest fund raising effort
in the city's history to improve healthcare. The rodeo
city's medics have set $400 million as their target
and the cash will be used to inject life into a variety
of health services, ranging from new technology to attracting
the best talent from around the globe. Participating
in the assiduous campaign will be the Calgary Health
Region, the University of Calgary, the Calgary Health
Trust and four area health institutes. GE
Saskatchewan
REGINA —
100 years proud
It seems that 7.1 is centenarian Saskatchewan's
lucky number. Finance Minister Harry Van Mulligen has
announced a birthday gift in the form of a 7.1% increase
in health spending for the 2005-06 budget, bumping total
healthcare spending to $2.9 billion. The province is
investing $1 million to increase the number of foreign-trained
doctors, $4 million to expand surgical volumes and reduce
wait times, and additional money to improve diagnostic
testing and expand cancer treatment capacity. TJ
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Manitoba
WINNIPEG —
I've got drugs
at my borders Federal Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh
is being beseeched by five national organizations representing
doctors and pharmacists, including the Canadian Medical
Association and the Canadian Pharmacists Association,
to crack down on the largely Manitoba-based cross-border
drug trade. The groups cite the ethics of co-signing
prescriptions for US patients and ensuring an adequate
supply of drugs for Canadians as their primary concerns.
Minister Dosanjh opposes the cross-border drug trade,
noting that Canada is ultimately too small to serve
as America's drugstore. HA
Ontario
OTTAWA —
Giveth before you
taketh away Ontario Hospital Association president
Hilary Short is lobbying the provincial Liberals to
take a softly, softly approach to their healthcare reforms.
Ms Short fears the deadline of March 2006 for hospitals
to balance their books will have a negative impact on
patient care and employee retention. The program is
part of the government's overall plan to bolster services
and move many services to community health clinics and
home care programs. Ms Short says that Ontario hospitals
are severely in the red and need urgent transition funding
now to balance their budget in time for the 2006 deadline.
JJM
TORONTO
— Flexing
(and massaging) his healthcare muscle Health
Minister George Smitherman announced last week that
effective April 1, physiotherapy services will be expanded
for certain sectors of the population. Among those covered
under the new funding umbrella are all Ontarians over
65, everyone 19 and under, longterm care residents of
all ages, as well as recipients of various disability
benefits. This is particularly good news for northern
residents, as most communities in Northern Ontario were
previously without access to funded physiotherapy clinics.
JJM
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