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Wednesday September 15, 2021

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday September 15, 2021

Politicians, medical groups condemn protests outside hospitals across Canada

A series of protests — against vaccine mandates and other COVID-19-related public health measures — held outside hospitals across Canada on Monday was condemned by politicians and health-care organizations as unacceptable and unfair to staff and patients.

May 8, 2021

The protests were organized by Canadian Frontline Nurses, a group founded by two Ontario nurses who have promoted conspiracy theories about COVID-19 and attended rallies in the U.S. for those who think the pandemic is a “fraud.”

The group says the “silent vigils,” expected in all 10 provinces, are meant to critique public health measures put in place to curb the spread of COVID-19.

Organizers oppose what they call “tyrannical measures and government overreach,” adding that they are not encouraging nurses to walk out on their shifts or abandon patients.

One of the group’s founders, registered practical nurse Sarah Choujounian, was at the Toronto protest. 

“We have thousands with us across Canada, but obviously, we’re only a few speaking because we’ve been fired,” said Choujounian, who formerly worked at a local long-term care home. 

August 28, 2021

Ontario Premier Doug Ford, whose government drew similar protests after he announced plans for a proof-of-vaccine system, condemned the latest round on Sunday in a tweet, describing such events as “selfish, cowardly and reckless.”

The Registered Nurses Association of Ontario and Ontario Medical Association issued a joint statement “strongly condemning” the disruptions and calling for designated safe zones around health-care facilities to protect staff and patients — a proposal the province’s New Democrats have also floated.

“Nurses, doctors and other health-care workers have been working around the clock on the front lines of the pandemic for 18 months helping to keep our communities safe,” the joint statement said.

July 8, 2021

The University Health Network, which runs Toronto General Hospital, said staff who have cared for people dying of COVID-19 are particularly disheartened, noting health-care workers have been caring for COVID-19 patients for 18 months despite risks to themselves and their families.

“To see protests in front of hospitals is demoralizing for all who work here but particularly for the staff who have cared for the people dying of COVID-19, often without all of their family and loved ones around them,” the network said in a statement.

May 5, 2021

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney condemned the protests at hospitals in Edmonton and Calgary, saying peaceful demonstrations are a constitutional right but they also have limits.

In a statement, he raised the possibility of the protesters facing legal action, “including the potential use of the Critical Infrastructure Defence Act,” an act passed in 2020 which allows fines against anyone who blocks, damages or enters without reason any “essential infrastructure.”

Meanwhile, Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau vowed to criminalize blocking access to hospitals amid the protests, saying in a tweet: “There is no place for intimidation or threats at our hospitals and clinics.” 

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh agreed it is wrong to protest at hospitals.

“No health-care worker, no patient, no one seeking health care should in any way be limited or have a barrier to getting the care they need,” he said while campaigning in Sioux Lookout, Ont.

Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole also expressed frustration.

“This type of harassment and protest in front of hospitals is completely unacceptable,” he said. (CBC) 

Thursday May 13, 2021

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday May 13, 2021

On Doug Ford’s watch, a new health crisis looms

A soaring backlog of surgeries and medical tests is shaking Ontario’s health-care system to its core. And Doug Ford needs a second opinion on how to deal with it because nothing he’s done so far has worked.

April 1, 2021

In struggling with the crisis unleashed by COVID-19, the premier and his government have created a new one that could result in even more suffering and death than we’ve been witnessing. Simply put, people aren’t getting the care they need when they need it.

To be fair, Ontario’s health-care system had to implement major changes over the past year as it battled the pandemic. Public health officials had to redeploy finite resources — including doctors, nurses and hospital beds — so people who had fallen sick with COVID-19 could be treated. 

But three weeks ago, Dr. David Williams, Ontario’s chief medical officer of health, shifted course in a more worrisome way. He ordered hospitals across the province to halt all non-emergency surgeries and non-urgent procedures. That didn’t impact only people waiting for hip or knee surgery, it also affected people needing cancer and cardiac treatments.

Now, a rising chorus of doctors is warning Dr. Williams’ order is too restrictive. They insist the system could expeditiously treat more patients with serious medical conditions without weakening the fight against COVID-19. One of the people speaking out is Dr. Robert Nam, a Toronto surgeon who says he’s “had to turn away referrals to help patients with cancer because of the provincial order to cancel elective surgery.”

January 16, 2021

“For cancer patients waiting for treatment … their hopes of being able to beat their disease have been severely harmed by the stroke of a pen,” he added.

What makes the situation even more frustrating for Dr. Nam is that it doesn’t have to be this way. He argues hospitals have the capacity to deal with COVID-19 but also other illnesses because they’ve “developed efficiencies and surgical techniques for cancer operations that do not require a hospital bed.”

But it’s not just where the health system is today that’s alarming; it’s where the province is headed that demands immediate action. According to Ontario’s science table, the pandemic-related surgical backlog had grown to 257,000 cases as of April. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the province’s Financial Accountability Office now predicts wait-lists of 419,000 surgeries and 2.5 million diagnostic tests and procedures by the end of September.

July 27, 2019

As it stands today, people aren’t getting the timely MRI tests that might reveal a serious medical condition. And as many as 500,000 women have had their breast-cancer screening delayed. But while some of those women might have developed breast cancer, they’ll have to wait for it to be diagnosed, then treated.

Even if the health-care system can offer surgeries, tests and procedures well above pre-pandemic levels for an extended period of time, it will take the province three and a half years to clear this backlog, the Financial Accountability Office said.

Given such numbers, it’s hard to believe Health Minister Christine Elliott when she says the government is on top of this problem. While the last provincial budget committed $610 million to clear the projected surgery and diagnostic procedures backlog, the Financial Accountability Office estimates it will cost $1.3 billion to get the job done. 

Somewhere, this government must come up with $700 million to deal with the systemic backlogs that are increasing by the day. Somehow, it must find the staff and resources needed to confront two separate health-care crises. And somehow, it must learn to fight a health-care battle on two fronts and at the same time. (Hamilton Spectator Editorial) 

 

Wednesday October 2, 2019

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday October 2, 2019

Andrew Scheer’s experience in the insurance industry: ‘6 or 7 months’ 

Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer has talked for years about his private sector experience as an insurance broker, but under questioning Monday, he admitted he only worked in the industry for “six or seven months.”

September 26, 2019

CBC News asked him exactly how long he’d worked in a Regina insurance office.

“I worked from approximately spring to some time in the fall,” he said, saying he’d have to go back and check his personal records for the exact dates.

CBC News also asked Scheer to clarify exactly what his role was in this office.

He said his job was “supporting the whole team … answering questions from customers and clients and doing preparatory work.” He added that he would also explain and pass on information to people coming into the office.

When CBC News suggested this meant he’d never actually worked as a broker, Scheer said that although he (eventually) received his accreditation under the Canadian Accredited Insurance Broker Program, “at this particular office, the licensed brokers finalized all the transactions.”

Conrad Shenher, who owned the insurance firm where Scheer worked and is now retired, told CBC News in a phone call that he doesn’t remember what Scheer’s duties were because it was so long ago.

May 16, 2012

In response to an earlier question from The Canadian Press, Scheer had said “I left before obtaining the full licence but I did receive that accreditation for general insurance.”

He also said he had many different jobs before being elected, including waiting tables.

When Scheer ran for the leadership of the Conservative Party, the biographical information on his website said he “passed the Canadian Accredited Insurance Broker program and began his working career in the insurance industry in Regina.”

Andrew Scheer Gallery

That’s the opposite order of events Scheer now describes.

Derek Lothian, chief executive officer of the Insurance Brokers Association of Saskatchewan, confirmed that Scheer completed a course with the association “that would form part of the eligibility requirements for licensing.”

As of Monday afternoon, Scheer’s biography on the Conservative Party’s web page continued to say that “before entering public life, Andrew worked in the private sector as an insurance broker.” (CBC) 

 

Saturday August 5, 2017

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday August 5, 2017

This health-care crisis is growing

Hospitals — running over budget, operating beds they don’t have funding for. Emergency rooms — patients stacked up in hallways. Acute care beds — too many blocked, occupied by people waiting to leave hospital but with no place to go. Ambulances — stretched to the limit, often not available at all.

December 21, 2016

It’s an old story. One we would rather not argue about again. But here’s the problem. Things are not getting better, they’re getting worse. And so this old story appears here yet again in hopes it will take on a new sense of urgency.

Hamilton Health Sciences needs to cut $20 million from its budget, St. Joseph’s Healthcare $7 million. In both cases, staffing will be affected, stretching already thin human resources even thinner. Executive staff are being cut as well as front line. In the case of HHS, three senior executives are leaving. And that’s at a hospital system that already spends below the provincial average on administration, according to the Canadian Institute for Health Information. HHS spends 4.9 per cent on administration, higher than the national average of 4.3 per cent but well below the provincial average of 5.6 per cent. Keep that in mind next time someone declares hospitals would be fine if only they cut senior management costs. 

May 10, 2016

Hospitals have seen provincial funding cut repeatedly. The province provided some relief this year with a two per cent increase. That doesn’t even cover inflation.

That’s why it’s so frustrating when Health Minister Eric Hoskins says he doesn’t expect funding to impact patient care. What world do Hoskins and other politicians live in? It’s already affecting patient care. In Ontario, you’re not supposed to spend 48 hours on a bed in a hallway awaiting admission. You shouldn’t expect to wait double-digit hours in the ER. You shouldn’t expect to be told there’s no acute care bed for a sick relative. You shouldn’t expect years-long waiting lists for aging relatives waiting for long-term care. All these are happening and getting more common. (Source: Hamilton Spectator Editorial)