Hepatitis C kills hundreds of thousands of people worldwide each year; in Canada it results in more lost years of life than any other infectious disease. An effective treatment exists, but it is unavailable to many because of cost and other access obstacles. And there is no vaccine. Canada has the researchers, the policy framework and the capacity to help change that.
In May, Ontario’s Auditor General released a special report on the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the Ontario government, including medical “AI scribes” that are increasingly being used by doctors, including us. While headlines and coverage focused mainly on so-called scribe hallucinations of these AI note-taking systems, that wasn’t the biggest news in the report.
Scrolling through social media, it’s easy to feel like health advice is everywhere. A creator shares a routine that “changed everything.” Another explains how they fixed their gut health. A clinician posts quick tips between patient visits. The tone is confident, personal – and above all, authentic.
Many low-income seniors are standing on the edge of a financial precipice. As family physicians and health promoters at St. Michael’s Family Health Team, we do everything we can to support our patients through these challenges. But for every person we help, thousands of others fall through the cracks with no one to catch them.
Alberta does not have to choose between recovery and harm reduction. A serious recovery-oriented system would protect both, investing in treatment beds and recovery communities, but also in the low-barrier services that keep people alive long enough to use them.
We have mapped the stars, descended into the ocean depths, yet the human brain remains one of the greatest mysteries humans have encountered.
Patients living in Canadian rural and remote communities often move across multiple systems simply to access basic care. Bill S-5 represents an important first step toward addressing a problem.
We cannot build a humane health-care system by forcing families to choose between unaffordable charges and unsafe or unsuitable care. That is not choice. That is pressure disguised as policy.
If we are serious about improving health outcomes, particularly for populations navigating systemic barriers, creative expression should not be treated as an add-on. It should be recognized as a practical, accessible component of care.
Imagine a world where creativity is prescribed alongside medicine – where artists collaborate with doctors to heal body, mind and spirit.
For newcomer survivors of gender-based domestic violence, expressive arts are not decorative. They are a practical, culturally responsive component of recovery.
Community artists help humanize both health care and settlement experiences by creating accessible, relational entry points.
For newcomers to Canada, creativity isn’t just a pastime – it can be a lifeline.
Long emergency wait times are now widely recognized as a structural problem. But children should not deteriorate unnoticed in emergency department waiting areas.
Canadians are increasingly finding themselves in an impossible position: treatments could be approved yet remain inaccessible. Friedreich ataxia (FA) has become a powerful example of that reality.
As physicians, we should absolutely continue improving access to mental health care. At the same time, we should also be willing to ask larger questions about the kind of society people are attempting to stay mentally well within.
Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease is a rapidly growing public health concern afflicting an estimated 35 per cent of Canadians.
Evidence-based preventative care should not become a luxury product or a marketplace trend. It should remain a core part of accessible public health care.
In Alberta, a recent change to MyHealth Records expanded parent and guardian access to children’s online health information, which could put some youth at risk.
To truly defy early-onset colorectal cancer, we need to come to terms with the reality that colorectal cancer has now become a disease of the young.
This series is a deep dive into the lives and working conditions of health-care professionals across Canada. It includes six profiles that explore the challenges, triumphs and priorities not only of our the health-care system as a whole, but of the workers who support it.
In partnership with AMS Healthcare, Healthy Debate is publishing a series of solutions-focused articles on emerging technologies and their potential for transformational change in our health-care system.
"Togethering" is the term for how we live out our vision of how we care for our families together. "Family" can mean the traditional nuclear family across generations, modern-day chosen families, friends and neighbours. This series explores how modern families are navigating their own version of "Togethering." These three articles are the first instalments of a 10-part series examining the intersection of housing, aging and caregiving.
In partnership with AMS Healthcare, Healthy Debate is publishing a series of solutions-focused articles examining gaps in our health-care system.