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British Columbia
Millions to ease
ED overcrowding
VANCOUVER —
BC's most hectic emergency departments (EDs) will receive
$7 million cash relief from the province. The announcement
was prompted by physician complaints of ED overcrowding,
which lead to shocking compromises to patients' health.
The death of an 88-year-old-man, who died in a congested
Nanaimo hospital corridor while on a stretcher, is just
one example. Dr Sheldon Glazer of the Royal Columbia
ER said it was difficult to go public, but that patient
care was becoming unsafe and far less than timely. LD
Hot
Spot
Alberta
AB backtracks on
reforms
EDMONTON —
Alberta is ditching the insurance-based funding model
of their 'Third Way' health reforms. The about face
was helped along by a report from the Chicago-based
AON group that found that the use of private insurance
won't solve the problem of health spending becoming
unsustainable. The government-commissioned report also
found that although the money could be saved, Alberta
ultimately wouldn't have the necessary infrastructure
of private healthcare providers required to make private
medicine work. GE
Saskatchewan
End to nursing
dearth nears
SASKATOON —
Health Minister Len Taylor has some encouraging news
to offer Saskatchewan's beleaguered Nursing Union. A
new focus on recruiting and education will produce about
80 nursing grads this spring, with 95% returning to
Saskatchewan. The government has also upped the number
of nursing school spots to 400, which should yield at
least 300 graduates in the next year. Union president
Rosalee Longmoore blames bed closures on the serious
dearth of nurses. HA
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Manitoba
Doctors running
on empty
WINNIPEG —
A serious lack of emergency docs in Winnipeg hospitals
has caused a backlog of patients and is putting a tremendous
strain on doctors, warned the Winnipeg Regional Health
Authority. "About 20% of the time there is only one
emergency room doctor on a shift when there should be
two," Jan Currie, the WRHA's vice-president, told the
Winnipeg Sun. The shortage has grown worse in
the last year and will become even more tenuous as doctors
book time off for summer vacations. A nationwide recruitment
strategy is underway to bring more doctors to Manitoba.
HA
Hot
Spot
Ontario
Debate over drug
reform heats up
TORONTO —
Ontario's ambitious drug reform proposal that aims to
improve access to innovative drugs, cut the red tape
imposed on doctors and boost use of low-cost generic
meds has ruffled many feathers. Pharmaceutical giants
have threatened to take their R&D dollars elsewhere
should the reform pass. This has some politicians concerned,
including Mississauga mayor Hazel McCallion. She says
she's going to organize other mayors in the province
to fight the government's drug-reform bill in order
to prevent the pharma companies from leaving. Health
Minister George Smitherman doesn't believe Ontario will
lose research and development jobs if the bill is passed
because the pharma companies will benefit from faster
approvals for the drugs. JJM
Home
care spending boost
TORONTO —
The province's Liberals will be dishing out $30 million
to implement 68 of the 70 recommendations from last
year's home care review. A minimum wage hike for support
workers is among the changes. The government will also
open a hotline to take complaints about home care services.
But for the NDP it's not enough. Last year's review
was hotly debated in the legislature because it continues
to allow competitive bidding for homecare contracts.
The NDP has even blamed nursing shortages on the cutthroat
practice. JJM
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