doctors – mackaycartoons

Wednesday February 12, 2025

February 12, 2025 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday February 12, 2025 (also, The Toronto Star.)

Doug Ford’s Abysmal Healthcare Performance in Ontario

September 26, 2024

Healthcare in Ontario has been a hot topic for years, and under Doug Ford’s leadership, the debate has only heated up. As election promises flood in from all parties, each claiming to fix the family doctor shortage and other issues, it’s important to examine what the current government has done—and hasn’t done—about healthcare.

Doug Ford’s time in office has seen plenty of criticism for how healthcare has been handled. Emergency rooms are closing more often, especially in rural areas, leaving people with fewer options when they need urgent care. The problem of finding family doctors has only grown, with millions more Ontarians expected to lose their family doctor soon. For people like Louise Lee and her family, this means a constant struggle to find basic medical care.

Analysis: 2024 worst year for Ontario ER closures, CBC analysis finds

May 19, 2023

Instead of focusing on these urgent healthcare needs, Ford’s government has been accused of chasing short-term, flashy policies. Expanding beer sales in convenience stores seemed to take priority over real healthcare reform, raising questions about what truly matters to this administration.

Privatization efforts have also worried many. By shifting funding towards private providers, there’s a risk that healthcare could become less accessible and affordable, potentially leading to a system where only those who can pay get the best care.
Promises to end hallway medicine have yet to materialize, with overcrowded hospitals still a common issue. This failure to deliver on key promises is part of a larger pattern of unmet commitments.

March 1, 2023

While appointing Dr. Jane Philpott to oversee primary care access was a positive step, it doesn’t address the bigger issues without a full strategy in place.

As the election approaches, political parties are offering solutions to Ontario’s healthcare problems. Bonnie Crombie’s Liberals want to bring in 3,100 family doctors by 2029, spending $3.1 billion. Doug Ford’s Conservatives plan to create 305 new primary care teams to help two million more Ontarians, with $1.8 billion in funding. Marit Stiles and the NDP promise to recruit 3,500 new doctors, spending $4.05 billion—the boldest plan of all.

These promises are supported by additional federal funding, with Justin Trudeau’s government committing $11.4 billion over 10 years to Ontario’s healthcare. This money aims to support team-based care models, which could make the system more efficient.

Analysis: Ontario parties are promising family doctors for all

August 19, 2022

But there’s plenty of doubt. How will these parties find all the new doctors they promise? Can they really fix the problems that have been around for decades?

The truth is, Ontario’s healthcare system has been declining for years, and it’s not just Ford’s fault. Long-standing issues like underfunding, an aging population, and workforce challenges have all played a part. Our healthcare system struggles to keep up with modern demands.

Election promises alone won’t bring the big changes needed. We need a long-term plan, backed by solid policies and cooperation across political lines, to truly improve Ontario’s healthcare. This plan must focus on fair access, updated infrastructure, and fixing systemic problems.

January 27, 2021

As voters prepare to make their choice, it’s important to look closely at what all parties are promising. Doug Ford’s record on healthcare shows many challenges, and while some new proposals give hope, they need to be realistic and impactful. Ontario’s healthcare system needs more than quick fixes or campaign talk; it requires a real commitment to lasting improvement. Only then can we hope to turn things around and build a healthcare system that works for everyone in Ontario.

Ontario’s Election – Continued: Ford Focus

I don’t think you have to be from Ontario to understand it. Public health care is undergoing significant challenges not just in this province, but across Canada and around the world where universal healthcare is crumbling. The struggles with doctor and nursing shortages, long wait times for procedures, and overcrowded emergency rooms are issues that many regions are grappling with, not just Doug Ford’s Ontario.

And let’s be real, if politicians want to brand themselves as superheroes, editorial cartoonists are definitely going to play along! I keep saying it, but we are facing an unnecessary election in Ontario right now. Just like President Trump has a knack for drawing attention to himself, Doug Ford seems to be trying to distract voters from his own record by shifting focus to Trump. Honestly, leave the Trump distractions to the Feds, Doug, and focus on defending your own record!

This piece took me back to those classic Superman episodes, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed putting it together. And if you’re a voter in Ontario, don’t be part of the apathetic 57% who didn’t bother to cast a ballot last time! It’s so important to get informed and make your voice heard. Mark your calendars—election day is on February 27, 2025. Let’s make sure we all step up and participate in shaping the future of our province!

Please enjoy the February 12, 2024 making-of animated editorial cartoon below. Posts come out every Saturday as I summarize the week that was in my editorial cartoons. What you’re reading now is regarded as a “note”, which is used to help compose my weekly posts and showcase the animated versions of my daily editorial cartoons. If you like my editorial cartoons and animations, please subscribe to my Substack newsletter, if you haven’t already. A lot of work goes into these cartoons and commentary — Best of all, it’s free!

– The Graeme Gallery

Read on Substack

Tuesday February 6, 2024

February 6, 2024 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday February 6, 2024

The Divergent Paths of Immigrants: Canada’s Healthcare Woes and Retention Challenges

January 19, 2024

Canada, a nation known for its welcoming stance on immigrants and refugees, is currently grappling with a paradoxical situation. On one hand, there is a steady influx of newcomers, including refugees, asylum seekers, and immigrants, drawn by the promise of a better life. On the other hand, the country is witnessing a departure of skilled professionals, particularly in the healthcare sector, and a notable percentage of immigrants choosing to leave within two decades of arrival.

The Ontario Medical Association (OMA) recently sounded the alarm, highlighting a dire shortage of family doctors across the province. With over 2.3 million residents lacking a family doctor and more than 2,500 physician positions vacant, the healthcare system is on the brink of crisis. The situation is exacerbated by an aging demographic of baby-boomer doctors planning to retire and a lack of appeal for medical students to choose family medicine due to financial concerns.

News: Family doctor shortage affects every region and is getting worse, Ontario Medical Association says

August 19, 1999

The struggles in the healthcare sector coincide with broader challenges facing immigrants. A recent study by Statistics Canada reveals that more than 15% of immigrants leave Canada within 20 years of admission, raising questions about integration difficulties and overall satisfaction. Emigration rates are higher among recent immigrants, with factors such as country of birth, admission category, and having children influencing the decision to leave.

The healthcare exodus and immigrant departure seem intertwined, painting a complex picture of Canada’s allure. Dr. Ramsey Hijazi, a family physician in Ottawa, emphasized the gravity of the situation, stating that Ontario is no longer a safe place to practice family medicine. The province’s inaction on the primary care crisis and the lack of goodwill in negotiations with physicians are driving some to consider alternative career paths or even leaving the country.

While the government claims to have added more than 10,400 new doctors since 2018 and expanded medical school access, the realities on the ground suggest a widening gap in the healthcare workforce. The Bilateral Burnout Task Force aims to reduce the administrative burden on doctors, but the exodus of healthcare professionals indicates a deeper systemic issue that needs urgent attention.

News: Many immigrants leaving Canada within years of arriving: StatCan

June 19, 2020

On the immigration front, Canada’s high retention rates are lauded, but the Statistics Canada study sheds light on pockets of concern. Immigrants from certain countries, admitted in specific categories, exhibit higher emigration rates, potentially pointing to unmet expectations, lack of economic integration strategies, and housing shortages.

As Canada welcomes a record number of immigrants, it must confront the challenges head-on. Addressing the healthcare crisis requires immediate action to retain and attract healthcare professionals. Simultaneously, a holistic approach to immigrant integration, recognizing diverse needs, and addressing housing shortages will be essential.

Canada’s reputation as a land of opportunities and inclusivity can only be sustained if it actively addresses these pressing issues. The current contrasting narrative of healthcare woes and immigrant departures demands a comprehensive and collaborative response from policymakers, healthcare institutions, and communities to ensure a prosperous and sustainable future for all residents. (AI)

Saturday January 21, 2023

January 21, 2023 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday January 21, 2023

Ontario is Hiring

August 3, 2022

Buried in the mountain of news and commentary this week around the province’s decision to allow more private sector health service delivery was another announcement by Doug Ford.

He said the province will make regulatory changes to ensure health-care workers from other provinces can overcome any bureaucratic or governance hurdles that might slow down their working in Ontario.

That makes sense, as far as it goes. There is no sound reason for different rules from one province to the next. Anything that reduces interprovincial inequity makes sense. But beyond that, this is more smoke and mirrors than meaningful improvement.

May 13, 2021

Is there a horde of medical workers — especially nurses — dissatisfied with their jobs in other provinces, yearning for Ontario? A province that has a law capping nursing salary increases at one per cent when inflation is more than six per cent? Where a court has found that law unconstitutional but the government is appealing the court’s ruling? Where other front-line jobs like police and fire are exempt from the same cap?

The health-care worker shortage is national, and even international. Any meaningful steps addressing it are welcome, but this is largely window dressing. (The Hamilton Spectator Editorial)

Wednesday December 9, 2020

December 16, 2020 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday December 9, 2020

Fauci Calls Coronavirus Vaccine a Game Changer, Decries Misinformation

Anthony Fauci said a vaccine could diminish coronavirus as successfully as the polio vaccine did for polio, enabling workers to return to offices and restaurants in the second half of 2021.

December 1, 2020

But hurdles exist, the U.S. government’s top infectious-disease expert said. They include people’s hesitancy to get vaccinated, a successful and swift vaccination program, and getting through a rise in Covid-19 cases that is now being fueled in part by misinformation about the virus, Dr. Fauci said at The Wall Street Journal’s CEO Council Summit on Tuesday.

“There are a substantial proportion of people who do think this is not real, that it’s fake news, or it’s a hoax. This is extraordinary. I’ve never seen this before,” he said. Dr. Fauci added that he will convey the following to President-elect Joe Biden’s administration: “We have all got to be on the same page telling the American public we have to pull together. That, to me, is the most important thing.”

Dr. Fauci and Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus-response coordinator, who also spoke Tuesday at the summit, both reiterated their calls for people to adopt public-health measures to combat the spread of the virus.

August 7, 2020

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently said the virus infected people in the U.S. in mid-December 2019, a few weeks before it was officially identified in China and about a month earlier than public-health authorities found the first U.S. case. It has since caused almost 15 million diagnosed cases and more than 283,000 deaths. Cases have surged since the fall, with more than 2,000 daily deaths being reported. It is too early to know whether the Thanksgiving holiday will add an additional spurt of cases.

The death toll could surpass 430,000 by March 1, according to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. The Trump administration is aiming to have enough coronavirus vaccine for everyone in the U.S. who wants to take it by the second quarter of 2021.

“We have to go head-to-head with the misunderstandings people have with this virus,” said Dr. Birx, who added that she doesn’t know what role she will have in the president-elect’s administration but will remain in federal government.

Dr. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, was upbeat about the promise of a vaccine to bring coronavirus to heel.

June 17, 2020

Health-care workers and people in nursing homes and extended-care facilities will get the vaccine first, he said, followed by various prioritization levels that are likely to include seniors, people with underlying health conditions and workers with critical jobs, such as teachers.

Dr. Birx also said vaccines need to be prioritized for communities of color that have been hit hard by Covid-19.

Younger people and people with no underlying conditions will likely be able to get the vaccine by the end of March or beginning of April if the vaccination program runs efficiently and the majority of people take the vaccine, Dr. Fauci said. With about 75% of the public inoculated, there should be low levels of circulating virus and a return to workplaces.

The stringency of public-health measures will gradually diminish, he said, and chief executives should use surveillance testing once workers return to quickly identify any potential outbreaks.

“I don’t think we’re going to eradicate [Covid-19] the way we did with smallpox, but I think we can do what we did with polio,” Dr. Fauci said. (Wall Street Journal)

Wednesday December 21, 2016

December 20, 2016 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday December 21, 2016

Ottawa, provinces fail to reach a deal on health spending

Ottawa and the provinces have failed to reach a deal on health-care funding, despite a $11.5-billion pledge by the federal government to boost targeted spending on home care and mental health.

The federal government has now taken that offer off the table, Finance Minister Bill Morneau said Monday, and the Canada Health Transfer (CHT) spending increase will revert to 3 per cent a year as of April 1, 2017.

Morneau had told the provinces he was willing to grow that key federal transfer by 3.5 per cent each year over the next five years — at a value of roughly $20 billion — but the provinces balked.

“We came to the provinces with a significant offer of funds … We’re disappointed we weren’t successful,” Morneau told reporters.

Jane Philpott, Canada’s health minister, said the federal government’s money could have made a real difference in the lives of many Canadians.

“I woke up this morning feeling very hopeful, thinking about half a million kids that are waiting for care for mental health services and hoping to be able to give them good news today,” she said.

“We’re disappointed that the provinces and territories did not feel like they could accept this offer and that they couldn’t find ways to use these resources immediately, to be able to get care out to Canadians.”

Ontario Finance Minister Charles Sousa said while the provinces rejected the federal funding plan, it was Morneau who was responsible for ending the meeting early.

“There was an urgency to close the meeting off. We’re here, we desire an agreement, we need to come to a conclusion. Why have anybody attend if there’s nothing to negotiate or discuss?” Sousa said, adding Ottawa wasn’t willing to listen to evidence that its proposed funding plan would imperil the country’s health-care system. (Source: CBC News)