|
Hot Spot
British Columbia
The end of safe-injection?
VANCOUVER
— The eleventh
hour is fast approaching for the licence expiration
of North America's only safe injection site in Vancouver.
The site's licence will expire on September 12, and
as this deadline looms, a recent study on the site indicates
the facility should actually be expanded in order to
bring about a reduction in public drug use and reckless
needle disposal. Ottawa, however, is remaining mum about
the future of the site and whether it will be allowed
to continue operating under an exemption of Canada's
drug laws. HY
Alberta
Alberta nixes "Third
Way" tracts
CALGARY —
Health Minister Iris Evans was roasted by opposition
parties recently, for a shelved plan by her government
to use a $1-million publicity campaign to counter "propaganda"
opposing its "Third Way" healthcare reforms. The money
was spent on 12-page magazines to be sent to every Alberta
mailbox as well as television commercials. "Can you
imagine what we'd do if we had $1 million to get our
message out," NDP leader Brian Mason told the Edmonton
Journal. Ms Evans answered critics by saying the
reforms had to be explained to Albertans and that the
materials will be used in the future. GE
Hot
Spot
Saskatchewan
Progress in prairie
wait times
REGINA —
There are 1,600 fewer names on Regina and Saskatoon's
surgical waiting lists, according to an annual report
by the Saskatchewan Health Department. "There is a very
concerted effort being made by all the partners in the
provision of services to reduce wait times," said Deb
Jordan, executive director of acute and emergency services
with Saskatchewan Health, to the Regina Leader Post.
Despite the encouraging progress the department acknowledged
there were still 5,982 patients who have been waiting
at least 12 months for treatment. TJ
|
Manitoba
IMGs gain key concessions
WINNIPEG —
Manitoba has become the first province in Canada to
level the residency playing field so that international
medical graduates (IMGs) can compete directly with Canadian
medical school graduates. One of the impetuses behind
the province's move is a complaint filed by an IMG with
the Manitoba Human Rights commission. The IMG argued
that systematic discrimination was hampering his prospects
of a medical career in Canada. HA
Ontario
Sault MDs, druggists
team up
SAULT STE MARIE
— A $3.5 million plan being launched in
Sault Ste Marie aims to get pharmacists, doctors and
other healthcare experts to work together on the goal
of reducing medication errors. The initiative will permit
20 pharmacists in the region to have access to the electronic
health records of patients, including patient drug profiles,
current lab test results and the patient's care plan.
Pharmacists will also gain access to the files of the
Group Health Centre — an organization in the Sault
Ste Marie area that's worked on furthering multidisciplinary
healthcare for about 40 years. JJM
Quebec
24-7 pastoral care
restored
GATINEAU —
The city of Gatineau has reversed a cost-cutting measure
enacted by the Quebec Health Authority on August 6 to
reduce pastoral care hours — which are currently
around-the-clock — to 9:00am to 5:00pm. Michel
Nolin, a pastoral-care worker in Gatineau, was so upset
with the decision to restrict pastoral hours that he
launched a public campaign to bring back 24-7 to Gatineau's
sick. Under the government cuts, if somebody was ill
or dying after 5:00 pm, the family had to arrange last
rites or spiritual counselling. DB
Contributors:
Hector Andrews, Simon Biggar, Donna Byers, Lance Davies,
Geoff Everett, Thane Jenkins, Paige Lee, Julie J Mercier,
Deana Stokes Sullivan and Henrietta Yan.
|
