Canada Health Act

Canadian kids’ spinal surgery waits ‘far exceed’ recommendations: report

Severe spinal curvature painful, delays can lead to more complex surgeries with longer hospitalizations. Madison West-Pettigrew smiles in this undated photo. Madison waited a year for scoliosis surgery as the curvature in her spine … READ MORE

Long waits for hip and knee replacements persist in Canada

Wait times in Canada for procedures like hip and knee replacements were longer than 6 months at the beginning of the pandemic and in 2022, according to new data from the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI). Healthcare … READ MORE

Patients, providers suffer as ERs are overwhelmed yet again: CMA

David Saddler CC Flickr Dr. Kathleen Ross, Canadian Medical Association January 11, 2024 Many emergency rooms (ERs) across the country are overflowing and patients across Canada are waiting far too long to receive necessary care. The … READ MORE

My fight for more home care is a fight for a lifetime of freedom

‘It’s incredibly difficult for me to live life to the fullest without 24-hour home care,’ writes Alex Lytwyn. Alex Lytwyn, who lives with cerebral palsy, says he tries to do daily tasks as independently as he can. … READ MORE

Canada’s primary care transformation slow, fragmented: Study

The study is the first to compare and evaluate primary care transformation across all of Canada’s provinces and territories. Photo by bady abbas on Unsplash By Bonnie O’Sullivan, University of Toronto November 29, 2023 … READ MORE

Can’t find a family doctor in Alberta? Training more medical students is not the silver bullet

The number of students choosing family medicine is declining in Alberta. While the increase in medical school spots in Alberta is much needed to support a struggling health-care system, the realities of solving the family medicine … READ MORE

Canada first to develop medical standards to keep kids from suffering pain in silence

OTTAWA – The Health Standards Organization has released a new set of guidelines to help hospital workers manage children’s pain — particularly for those who can’t communicate when they’re hurt. An empty cot … READ MORE

There is no miracle cure to the health crisis – but here’s where to start

What seemed like a “miracle solution” of breaking up our single-access system has now become the main problem. Dr. Alika Lafontaine is President of the Canadian Medical Association by Alika Lafontaine, Healthy Debate March 7, 2023 … READ MORE

‘They don’t care about me, mom’: Teen’s scoliosis surgery delayed five times

Nathan Gilson’s wait took a mental and physical toll on the entire family. The left photo shows Nathan Gilson’s back before scoliosis surgery, while the second photo shows his back after surgery. It took a year-and-a-half for … READ MORE

Why doctors still use faxes, and why Ontario aims to phase them out of health care

‘Anyone under the age of 18 might be wondering: what’s a fax? We don’t blame them,’ says provincial plan. We need to axe the fax in health care — now. The fact that so much vital health information is transmitted via … READ MORE

Canadian doctors spend millions of hours on unnecessary paperwork each year: report

Report says Nova Scotia is leading the way in reducing administrative burden. Dr. Leisha Hawker said reducing unnecessary administrative work can help doctors have a better work-life balance and lead to more employee retention. Brian … READ MORE

Why mask mandates are lifting in hospitals across Canada

Most provinces will no longer require masks in hospitals — but that could change if COVID levels worsen. Watch | COVID-19 mask mandates dropped in more hospitals. The majority of health-care facilities in Canada have dropped … READ MORE

Alberta woman expected a 6-month wait for surgery. Two painful years later, she’s still waiting

‘It makes me feel insignificant,’ says woman awaiting surgery for scoliosis. Sarah MacPhail is a therapist and clinical social worker from Cold Lake, Alta. She says she has been waiting since 2020 for a spinal surgery to … READ MORE

Alberta, Ottawa sign health-care funding deal worth $24B over 10 years

‘This is a productive first step,’ Premier Danielle Smith says of agreement. Alberta has become the seventh province to sign an agreement in principle with Ottawa on health-care funding. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and … READ MORE

Some parents are leaving Ontario because of frustrations with its autism program

Province has stopped providing updates on progress to enroll children in core services. Hundreds of parents, therapists and union members gather outside Queen’s Park, in Toronto on March 7, 2019, to protest the provincial … READ MORE

Alberta Health redirects thousands of orthopedic surgeries to independent clinics to tackle backlog

Publicly funded hip, knee surgeries will be done at chartered health-care facility. ‘This is public healthcare,’ says Alberta Minister of Health, Jason Copping. ‘We know we need to increase our capacity because … READ MORE

Canada’s health-care system has a data problem, experts say. And it puts patients at risk

‘It’s not good to be flying blind,’ says one doctor pushing for change. Nurse Dave Riar checks on a patient in the intensive care unit at the Royal Columbia Hospital in New Westminster, B.C., on Thursday, March 31, … READ MORE

Calgary girl with Down syndrome stuck at home due to lack of school supports

Calgary Board of Education says it’s working with the family to address concerns. Shawna Risdon says it feels like no one seems to care that her seven-year-old daughter Sadie isn’t able to attend school because of a lack … READ MORE

How Canada’s largest pediatric hospital’s ICU was saved from near collapse

SickKids’ intensive care unit is at 120% capacity and has been under immense pressure for weeks. The SickKids ICU is at 120 per cent capacity and has been under immense pressure for weeks. Pediatric hospitals across the province … READ MORE

Stollery Children’s Hospital redeploys staff as it struggles with surge of patients

Intensive care unit at 100 per cent capacity, but has ability to add beds. Stollery Children’s Hospital’s pediatric intensive care unit is currently at 100 per cent capacity and is bracing for a further increase. Peter … READ MORE

Doctors warn Alberta’s pediatric hospitals in ‘chaos’ as more children face care delays

5 outpatient clinics at Alberta Children’s Hospital now postponing patient care as viral illnesses surge. Alberta Children’s Hospital is now delaying some outpatients as it redeploys 65 staff members. The Stollery … READ MORE

To mask or not to mask. The sequel

Kieran Moore is a Canadian physician and public servant who serves as the current Chief Medical Officer of Health of Ontario. Healthy Debate photo by Maddi Dellplain, Healthy Debate November 22, 2022 Canada’s provincial medical … READ MORE

What do disability biases look like in practice?

To patients with disabilities, stereotypes can affect care. College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario photo By Stuart Foxman, eDialogue December 17, 2021 ▽ Table of Contents Introduction Seen as extra work A focus on the … READ MORE

Alberta hospitals battle wave of sick children as viral illnesses surge

Posted wait times have spiked to 17 hours since late September as pediatric hospital admissions rise. Alberta’s pediatric hospitals are dealing with a wave of respiratory illnesses, including RSV, influenza and COVID-19. The … READ MORE

This mom sits outside her child’s school all day. She wants more help for students with disabilities

An estimated 1 in 6 students in Ontario have a disability and face barriers to education, advocate says. Michelle Cousins makes herself comfortable with a pillow and a blanket in her accessible van while she camps out near her … READ MORE

B.C. teenager waited almost 2 years for scoliosis surgery

Solutions to shorten wait times include triaged referral system, incentives to reach timeline targets. Cael Perry (middle) with his parents Sharlene and Chris. Cael was diagnosed with severe thoracic scoliosis in November 2020. David … READ MORE

Canadians less satisfied in their access to health care than Americans: poll

15% of Canadians satisfied with access to care, while 29% of Americans satisfied with access, poll finds. A health-care worker pushes a patient across a connecting bridge at a hospital in Montreal, on Thursday, July 14. The findings … READ MORE

Time for fast action on a Canada Disability Benefit

Over one million Canadians with disabilities live in poverty. If implemented, this new benefit will work in the same manner as the Guaranteed Income Supplement and the Canadian Child Benefit. Photo by Marcus Aurelius from Pexels By … READ MORE

Experts plead for more pediatric telehealth

A specialty group is asking federal and state governments to preserve and expand access to telehealth services for children with developmental and behavioral problems. Monterey County pediatricians adjust to shelter in place. Monterey … READ MORE

The doctor won’t see you now: Why access to care is in critical condition

In addition to patient care, many doctors also have heavy administrative burdens, including insurance company requests and government forms that advocate for their patients’ needs, as well as all the challenges of running an office. … READ MORE

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