Category Archives: Uncategorized

Dr. Danielle Martin is interviewed on stage during the Ramsay Talks series at the Isabel Bader Theatre.

If we did a good enough job with it, Ontario could spread Pharmacare to the rest of Canada says Dr. Danielle Martin.

Asked what one issue she would like to see in the present provincial election, Martin never even hesitated. Unlike other initiatives that are national in scope, Ontario is big enough on its own to negotiate better drug prices and implement a universal drug plan.

Speaking at Ramsay Talks last night in Toronto, Martin said Pharmacare could begin with “20 drugs to save a nation.”

She says we could pick out 20 generics that are proven to help Canadians manage chronic disease. In Ontario the savings would be so great that the province could theoretically pick up the tab for the rest of the country and still reduce expenditures.

“Let’s focus on the ones that have the biggest bang for the buck,” she said.

That claim alone should be enough for any politician on the hustings to stand up and take note.

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“Knock knock.

Who’s there?

Tim.

Tim? Who’s dat?

No – it’s Tim Hu-dak.”

The candidates are knocking on your door. All candidate meetings are being organized in each riding. Are you ready?

Here are some questions you might want to put somewhere near the door, or perhaps take with you to a local forum. Please add your own suggestions in the comment field below.

Hospitals

Before the 2011 general election the Auditor General of Ontario said that with planned funding increases of 3.3 per cent provincial hospitals would have to find $1 billion in savings or “they will likely run deficits or may have little alternative but to cut services.” Since 2011 we actually witnessed base hospital funding constrained even further to 1.5 per cent, then zeros for two years after that. The spring budget would have extended the freeze on base hospital funding another year. The auditor’s warnings have come true – cuts to staff and services have been taking place across the province. What would your party do to stem the tide of hospital cuts?

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Winners of this year’s Health Care Divisional Council are:

Fern Crawford, Local 497
Jackie Gibbons, Local 346
Adriana Thompson, Local 214

Come see us at the HCDC table to see about your prize.

Every Commission that has looked into health care delivery in Canada has recommended bringing prescription drugs under the Medicare umbrella. As modern health care has evolved, drug therapies have become increasingly important. If you can’t afford the drugs, you are effectively denied access to care. In many cases, patients who cannot afford their medications get sicker and cost the public system much more. Momentum is building for a public universal Pharmacare program in Canada. Coverage for all users would dramatically reduce overall costs, make access more equitable, and slow the rate of growth in drug spending. All that is missing is the political will. Learn more by taking our short (and somewhat fun) quiz.

For those attending the OPSEU Convention, you can fill out this quiz and enter it at the Health Care Divisional Council table by 2 pm. Three winners will be selected to win $100 in OPSEU clothing. Winners will be posted here shortly after 2 pm along with the answers.

1. Pharmacare is…
A) Care for farmers and their animals
B) A private health plan for Pharmacists and their assistants
C) Public health insurance for prescription drugs
D) The care criminal drug dealers have for their clients

2. The Ontario Drug Benefit (ODB) program is one of the most generous public drug benefit programs in Canada. You would be eligible for coverage if…
A) You are a senior over the age of 65
B) You live in a long term care home, home for
special care, are enrolled in a home care program or are on social assistance
C) The cost of your drugs is high relative to your
income
D) All of the above.

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The provincial election has been called.

The chances of any of the three parties having a real debate about health care is remote. When it comes to elections, talking about health care is akin to putting your head on the third rail to see if the train is coming and wondering why your brain is suddenly getting really hot.

The sad thing is, because the politicians don’t want to talk about it, we miss our opportunity to truly debate the kind of health system we want.

Why do we put up with this? Poll after poll Canadians (which we presume to include Ontarians) tell us that their number one concern is health care. So how come we are so docile when an election writ is dropped?

Remember the John Tory election meltdown? Who’d-a-thought religious school funding would have dominated that election? But that’s what happens when you don’t keep your eyes on the prize. You end up focussing on what the politicians want to talk about, not on what you want to talk about.

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