Fourth wave highlights health system’s fragility – The Daily Gleaner Op-Ed
New Brunswick hospitals are on “red alert,” reducing or suspending services to increase capacity for COVID-19 patients as the fourth wave continues. There are 57 patients hospitalized for COVID-19 and 18 in intensive care, at the time of writing – a number that will continue to fluctuate in the days and weeks to come.
New Brunswickers might reasonably ask if the hospital system is truly threatened by fewer than 20 critical cases after 18 months of a global pandemic. Unfortunately, the province-wide red alert shows that it is.
Why and how is this possible? To this, there is no simple answer.
In less than a month, the number of people hospitalized for COVID-19 has nearly doubled, and the number in ICU has…
Expensive Endings: Reining In the High Cost of End-of-Life Care in Canada
Canada’s Sky-High Costs for End-of-Life Care Need Solutions Despite spending more on medical care delivered at the end-of-life than other high-income countries, Canada performs poorly on most measures of healthcare quality – meaning Canadians are not getting value for their money, according to a new report released by the C.D. Howe Institute. Authors Kieran Quinn, […] Nowhere to Go at the End
People approaching the end of life often require an intensification of healthcare services, and the majority could benefit from palliative care prior to death. With its focus on improving comfort and quality of life, palliative care tends to avoid hospital-based, invasive, costly and potentially inappropriate care. Palliative care is preferably (but not always) delivered outside […] Glen Hodgson – Complications Abound in the Pandemic Recovery
From: Glen Hodgson To: Concerned Canadians Date: October 19, 2021 Re: Complications Abound in the Pandemic Recovery The Canadian economy is on the rebound from the pandemic shutdown and most economic forecasters are projecting positive growth into the medium term. This good news story conceals deeper factors that will complicate the recovery and longer-term outlook. The potential for […] Blomqvist, Grootendorst – Price Regulation Not the Best Answer for Pharmaceuticals
From: Åke Blomqvist and Paul Grootendorst To: Canadians Concerned about Drug Prices Date: October 12, 2021 Re: Price Regulation Not the Best Answer for Pharmaceuticals Big changes are afoot in the way patent drugs are priced in Canada. At present, Canada’s Patented Medicine Prices Review Board (PMPRB), a federal agency, is responsible for setting maximum prices for patented drugs […] Janice MacKinnon – Saskatchewan Model Shows How Private Clinics Can Play in a Public System
To: Canadians concerned about healthcare From: Janice MacKinnon Date: October 6, 2021 Re: Saskatchewan Model Shows How Private Clinics Can Play in a Public System The federal election featured a renewed debate about private healthcare in Canada. Yet only in Canada would the topic of private healthcare spark any debate. Many OECD nations that have systems that are less […] Parisa Mahboubi – COVID Benefits are Ending. Will Workers Return?
From: Parisa Mahboubi To: Canadian labour force observers Date: October 4, 2021 Re: COVID Benefits are Ending. Will Workers Return? Canada’s COVID-related economic recovery measures are set to end soon. What are the likely outcomes and what are the potential steps the federal government can take to soften the blow? In the early days of the pandemic, the […] Trebilcock, Poliwoda – The Trips Vaccine Waiver Controversy
From: Michael J. Trebilcock and Dan Poliwoda To: Canadians concerned about vaccine equity Date: September 23, 2021 Subject: The TRIPS Vaccine Waiver Controversy The vastly differing rate at which developed and developing countries have been able to procure COVID-19 vaccines has exposed major inequities in global vaccine access. In an effort to boost developing countries access to COVID-19 vaccines, […] Canada Should Negotiate A Fairer Share Of Drug R&d Costs – Financial Post Op-ed
Big changes are afoot in the way patent drugs are priced in Canada. At present, Canada’s Patented Medicine Prices Review Board (PMPRB), a federal agency, is responsible for setting maximum prices for patented drugs (i.e., pharmaceuticals, biologics and vaccines). The agency has been criticized for failing to rein in prices, which are higher than in some peer countries. This criticism is unfair: the tools the PMPRB was given to regulate drug prices when it was established in 1987 have become less effective over time.
To address this problem, the federal government has authorized the PMPRB to introduce new pricing regulations, now scheduled to come into force in January. We think this is the wrong strategy. Instead of relying on…
Widespread Devastation For Seniors
The impact of COVID-19 on Canadian seniors has been devastating. Unfortunately, new research suggests that official counts likely underestimate COVID-19 deaths among the senior population at large. It is well known that the pandemic took a heavy toll on seniors living in long-term care and retirement homes, however, recalibrated estimates suggest that 62 percent of […] Rosalie Wyonch – Learning From Deadly Lessons: Seniors’ Care And Covid-19
From: Rosalie Wyonch To: Canadians concerned about long-term care Date: August 30, 2021 Subject: Learning from Deadly Lessons: Seniors’ Care and COVID-19 The impact of COVID-19 on Canadian seniors, in particular for residents of long-term care and retirement homes, has been devastating. With more than 15,000 resident and 30 staff deaths, Canadians are expecting governments to improve residential […] Cutting Square Deals: Drug Prices, Regulation, and Patent Protection
Canada’s Efforts to Reduce Drug Prices Should Avoid “Free Riding” Canada’s efforts to reduce pharmaceutical prices should not come at the cost of contributing our fair share to developing new treatment innovations, and should rely more on negotiations with manufacturers than regulation, according to a new paper released by the C.D. Howe Institute. Authors Åke […]