@todmaffin Somewhere between the balcony applause and ER hallways, we lost the plot.
♬ original sound – Tod Maffin
Tag Archives: healthcare
Add your voice – Friends of Medicare
Alberta has passed Bill 11, which allows for a two-tier healthcare system to exist. The result will see people with the necessary finances paying to jump the healthcare queue while those without such monetary resources waiting longer for their medical care.
With this reality taking shape in Alberta, the potential is that other provinces might follow suit. To prevent this from happening, please consider sending this letter to Federal Health Minister Marjorie Michel asking her to enforce the Canada Health Act.
Primary Care – What do we know?
In this video, Dr. Braden Manns highlights some things that are known about improving Canada’s primary care for patients, families, physicians….everyone.
Who’s the boss?
Dr. Braden Manns looks at the idea of boss with respect to physicians and what it can mean to patients.
Alberta’s Bill 11

The law firm Goldblatt Partners describes the changes introduced by Bill 11 as “the most extensive privatization of payment for medically required physician services since the Canada Health Act’s enactment in 1984.”
They add that it “permits queue-jumping and creates a parallel private pathway for the provisions of medically necessary care to insured residents of Alberta, contrary to the core objectives and provisions of the Canada Health Act.”
Click here to read the full article.
As Food Prices Climb, Dispatches from the Aisles | The Tyee

“‘Food insecurity cannot be addressed with food. It must be addressed via income….We can’t ‘food bank’ our way out of food insecurity, we can’t ‘decrease food waste’ our way out of food insecurity, we can’t ‘smart shopping’ our way out of food insecurity.'”
Click here to read this Tyee article.
Will other hospitals do the same?

If you are in an emergency room on Vancouver Island and see carts being wheeled around filled with items such as blankets, neck pillows, and stuffed animals, you are probably in one of urgent care facilities that are implementing “Comfort Carts.” The single-use items on the cart are given to seniors as way to help individuals feel more comfortable as they wait to receive healthcare. “‘And gosh, does it ever feel good when you see the smile on a senior’s face, or the comfort, that look of relief when you provide those kinds of items to a senior in distress.'”
Click here to read more about this initiative.
Bill 11 – Threat to Public Healthcare in Alberta and Beyond

Click here or on the above image to read the letter.
Alberta’s ‘Dual practice’ health plan: improve or worsen wait times?

The Alberta Givernment claims that their dual practice will decrease wait times. Others, including medical associations, physicians disagree.
“‘Doctors across Canada are deeply concerned about the Alberta government’s proposal to expand private health care…This plan would take resources away from the public system and create a private option that only some people could afford. That would mean longer waits, fewer available doctors, and more strain on the public system, the one that most people depend upon.'”
Read more here.
A Letter From an Alberta Doctor

Check out this thread to read @RajSherman’s full letter.