pharmacy – mackaycartoons

Friday July 25, 2024

July 26, 2024 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday July 25, 2024

The Risks of Privatization in Ontario’s Healthcare and Alcohol Distribution

Recent policy changes by the Ontario government under Premier Doug Ford mark a significant shift towards privatization and deregulation, raising concerns about long-term implications for public welfare. The expansion of pharmacists’ powers to prescribe medications for common ailments and the increased availability of alcohol in private retail outlets, such as grocery and corner stores, are touted as solutions to alleviate pressure on the public healthcare system and enhance consumer convenience. However, these moves may create more problems than they solve.

Expanding pharmacists’ powers to prescribe drugs for conditions like strep throat is intended to reduce the burden on family doctors and emergency rooms amid a severe shortage of healthcare providers. With around 2.5 million Ontarians lacking access to a family doctor, this measure appears to provide a quick fix. However, it overlooks the complexity and risks associated with diagnosing and treating medical conditions.

News: Ontario looking to give more power to pharmacists, as billing concerns haunt one program they oversee

April 9, 2024

Pharmacists, despite their extensive training, are not equipped with the same diagnostic tools or depth of medical training as doctors. They may end up prescribing treatments based on symptoms alone, potentially leading to misdiagnosis and inappropriate medication use. For instance, sore throats and rashes can have multiple causes, including viral infections that do not require antibiotics. Overprescription of antibiotics can lead to resistance and other health issues, underscoring the necessity of accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment.

Critics argue that this move is a step towards privatization, diverting patients from publicly funded healthcare to private sector solutions. It risks creating a two-tier healthcare system where access to care depends on one’s ability to pay, fundamentally undermining the principles of universal healthcare.

July 19, 2024

The decision to expand alcohol sales to include convenience stores, grocery stores, and big-box retailers aims to provide greater access and convenience for consumers. However, this comes at a significant financial cost, with the government allocating up to $225 million to support this transition, including a substantial payout to The Beer Store to assist in the shift.

While this policy might seem beneficial for consumers, it raises questions about public health and safety. Increasing the availability of alcohol can lead to higher consumption rates, which are associated with a range of social and health problems, including addiction, accidents, and long-term health issues. The move also diverts significant public funds that could potentially be used to address pressing needs within the public healthcare system, such as improving access to family doctors and maintaining emergency services in rural areas.

These policy changes reflect a broader trend towards deregulation and privatization under the Ford government, prioritizing short-term solutions over sustainable, long-term strategies. While the immediate benefits of reduced wait times and increased convenience are appealing, they come with substantial risks and costs that may exacerbate existing problems.

Analysis: Ontario’s ‘alcohol deficit’ to grow with expanded sales: expert

March 1, 2023

By shifting responsibilities from public institutions to the private sector, the government risks creating a fragmented healthcare system where the quality and accessibility of care are uneven and dependent on private market dynamics. This approach fails to address the root causes of issues such as healthcare provider shortages and underfunded public services, instead opting for quick fixes that may ultimately lead to greater inequities and inefficiencies.

Analysis: I’ve seen what a functioning health care system needs and it’s not more downloading to pharmacies

Young Doug Ford: The Series

Ontario’s move towards expanding pharmacists’ powers and privatizing alcohol distribution raises significant concerns about the long-term impacts on public health and welfare. These policies, while seemingly beneficial in the short term, may undermine the principles of universal healthcare and public responsibility, leading to a more privatized and potentially inequitable system. It is crucial to critically assess these changes and consider whether they truly serve the best interests of Ontarians or merely offer a temporary reprieve at a considerable future cost. (AI)

Friday September 15, 2023

September 15, 2023 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday September 15, 2023

Over-the-Counter Cold Remedies: A Quackery Quandary

February 6, 2015

In the wake of the FDA’s recent revelation challenging the effectiveness of common over-the-counter cold and flu remedies containing phenylephrine, a long-standing dilemma has surfaced. While the FDA’s verdict on the limited efficacy of phenylephrine, a prevalent ingredient in these medications, has created a buzz of uncertainty, there’s a nostalgic and enduring remedy that deserves our attention – the warm embrace of Bubbe’s chicken soup.

The FDA’s pronouncement about phenylephrine delivers a sobering blow, casting doubt on the potency of some of our most trusted cold and flu treatments. Brands like Benadryl, Mucinex, Sudafed PE, and Tylenol, once hailed as saviors during the sniffle season, may be on the brink of obsolescence as manufacturers race to revamp their formulas. But what if these colourful pills we’ve reached for throughout the years are nothing more than sugar-coated placebos?

July 21, 2020

In stark contrast, Bubbe’s chicken soup, a timeless remedy with roots reaching back generations, may lack the scientific rigor some demand, yet it consistently offers a comforting refuge when illness strikes. While it may lack the stamp of approval from clinical trials, it boasts an undeniable ability to make us feel better. As we grapple with the uncertainty surrounding modern cold remedies, perhaps it’s time to heed the wisdom of tradition and embrace the enduring comfort of Bubbe’s tried-and-true chicken soup. (AI.) Editorial cartoon published in the Toronto Star.

Saturday April 29, 2017

April 28, 2017 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday April 29, 2017

Proposed: Publicly funded drug plan for all Ontarians under 25

Give one cheer for the Liberals. Kathleen Wynne’s Ontario government has finally bit the bullet on publicly funded pharmacare.

February 24, 2017

Their scheme to provide those under 25 with free prescription drugs isn’t comprehensive. Nor, in spite of Finance Minister Charles Sousa’s boast, is it exactly path-breaking.

Saskatchewan already offers a similar, albeit less generous, drug plan to children 14 and under.

But it is a start.

The plan, announced in Thursday’s budget, would allow any Ontarian age 24 and under who needs prescription drugs for medical purposes to receive them at no cost.

March 10, 2017

Unlike the province’s drug plan for seniors, there would be no co-payment and no deductible. Unlike the drug plan for welfare recipients, there would be no means test.

Rather, like medicare, it would be universally available and cover the entire cost of roughly 4,400 drugs.

Experts can argue whether the Liberal pharmacare plan is better or worse than that pitched by Andrea Horwath’s Ontario New Democrats. The NDP proposes a scheme that would cover everyone under 65 but only for 125 commonly prescribed drugs.

But the Liberals have the advantage of being in power right now. If they follow through on their promise, their truncated pharmacare plan will come into effect next January.

March 8, 2016

For these reasons, any move toward universal publicly funded pharmacare is welcome and probably irreversible. Progressive Conservative leader Patrick Brown told reporters Thursday that he would prefer a scheme that is means-tested. But Ontario already has a drug benefit program for the poor.

What is useful about this scheme is precisely what Brown doesn’t like about it: It is a step on the road to universal pharmacare.

Sousa told reporters that he hopes Ontario’s move will persuade Ottawa and other provinces to act. Perhaps it will. (Source: Toronto Star)

Wednesday November 7, 2012

November 7, 2012 by Graeme MacKay

By Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday November 7, 2012

‘The beginning of a new era in America’

Pharmacy’s poll finds split between headache and anger relief

President Barack Obama’s re-election — in a ferocious campaign dotted by charges of racial anger and minority-voter suppression — has provided what many blacks say will surely deepen his legacy: irrefutable evidence that his presidency is hardly a historical fluke as he has now won two national campaigns with overwhelming white support.

Obama, the nation’s first black president, was already soaked in history, a figure seen in the aftermath of his 2008 victory as the culmination of a decades-long civil rights crusade that suffered the assassination of beloved figures who fought and marched for the right to vote and freely pursue the American dream.

But Obama’s first term as president also saw him pelted with racially charged denunciations — some from politicians — that reopened festering wounds and even fears in the African American community for his safety. At times it felt as if the W.E.B. Du Bois prophecy — the problem of the 20th century would be the color line, he famously opined — had leapt right into the 21st century.

“In many ways,” said Lonnie G. Bunch III, founding director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, “Obama’s reelection can be seen as resilience on the part of the African American community.”

But Bunch admitted that he felt, as did many blacks in the waning weeks of the campaign, that Obama — despite accomplishments in the war on terrorism, a strengthening economy and passage of a universal-health-care law — had been mercilessly castigated.

There was jubilation on the streets of Washington with Obama’s re-election. Janice Brown, 30, a staffing consultant who lives in Suitland, Md., stood in a corner of Busboys and Poets restaurant, excited and relieved. “It’s awesome for America. Not only is he a great leader, but he is inspiring.” (Source: The Independent)