Steve Anthony: True Canadian Pharmacy

p The British Medical Association is now campaigning against internal competition, said Dr. Turnbull, who takes over as president of the CMA next August, said he’s deeply concerned about the health of the four million Canadians who don’t have a family doctor, and about making specialists easier to access for those who do have one. Delegates at the meeting also acclaimed Dr. Jeffrey Turnbull, chief of staff at the Ottawa Hospital, as their president-elect. !–more– Robert Woollard of Canadian Doctors for Medicare. Robert Ouellet, the outgoing president of the CMA. During a lively debate, some members said the promises haven’t panned out in the U. Competition has led to one doctor being pitted against another, one hospital being pitted against another, Dhalla said. Turnball said he’s willing to debate the merits of patients paying for more services, but he ran on a platform of maintaining a strong public system. Woollard suggested introducing competition in small doses, monitoring the results and adjusting as necessary. Irfan Dhalla. Instead, delegates at the group’s annual meeting in Saskatoon passed a resolution Tuesday calling on governments to examine internal market mechanisms, which could include a role for the private sector in the delivery of publicly funded health care. Robert Ouellet, who is finishing his term as president of the Canadian Medical Association, says competition in providing service should not be feared. And it’s an incentive to do better and to give a better service. If you don’t deliver the service, someone will do it, Ouellet said. K.
Competition is nothing to be feared, even if delivered by the private sector, said Dr. Delegates at the Canadian Medical Association conference in Saskatoon vote on a resolution to further examine the merits of a private sector component to Canada’s medicare system. Meanwhile, a rival group is urging a go-slow approach to competition in the health care system. If something’s going to be a powerful tool for change, clearly is capable of adverse side-effects, clearly let’s do it carefully, said Dr. Patients will be the winners, Ouellet said, noting competition helped reduce waiting lists in Britain. Members of the Canadian Medical Association have backed away from endorsing private competition to make the health-care system more efficient.
Dr. The discussion about private versus public has been a diversion away from some of the essential issues that are facing us, said Turnbull, who has chaired the department of medicine at the University of Ottawa, headed a UNESCO committee on health for the disadvantaged and regularly treats the homeless.

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Retailers are shifting their focus to private-label brands as more Canadians search for low-cost shopping alternatives, and the chief executive of Shoppers Drug Mart wants to ensure that the company’s popular Life brand and its other private-label products, aren’t left in the dust.
Jurgen Schreiber told shareholders at the company’s annual meeting Thursday that Canada’s largest drug store chain by revenues (TSX:SC) is introducing three to five new (more…)

“The more you have a larger number of consumers interested, the less the cost will be. Eric Caire, Action Démocratique du Québec health critic and leadership candidate, said the government deliberately limited the list of insurable treatments to make private insurance obsolete. Quebec Health Minister Yves Bolduc said the province has sped up wait times so much since the court ruling, it’s no wonder no one wants to pay for private coverage. So, (more…)

Health Minister Michael Murphy will continue his reforms to the health system in 2009 with additional cuts to departmental administration and unveiling legislation that will set the stage for private health clinics.
Murphy said the legislation will settle who is allowed to own private clinics as well as address any potential conflicts of interest. But the health minister maintains the use of private clinics will not violate the Canada Health Act.
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