Chronic Illness

No physician should be punished for advocating for life-saving services during the toxic drug crisis

As a young doctor-in-training, I feel obligated to speak out against Island Health's unethical treatment of Jessica Wilder.

Want to know where we are with cancer care? Don’t ask Ontario

A provincial election and talk of tariffs have taken up much of Ontario’s attention recently but we shouldn’t lose sight of that other problem: health care.

Public health is dead. As artists, we share some of the responsibility

As a writer who lived with Long Covid for two years, today more than ever, I think it is essential for artists to acknowledge and challenge a pandemic-shaped cultural vacuum.

Ontario must address the autism crisis. 60,000 children are waiting for care

Despite billions allocated for autism services, many families are still waiting – sometimes for years. To fix Ontario’s autism services, we should redirect resources toward programs that have been proven to work.

 How denial of airborne COVID transmission broke the world

Five years later, the greatest basic science failure in generations caused the pandemic harms highlighted by people across the political spectrum, and broke our social cohesion.

With the U.S. sidelined, it’s critical we monitor avian flu outbreak

As the avian flu outbreak continues to evolve, it is critical for us to continue monitoring, testing and surveillance, especially as cuts are made to funding and research is gagged south of the border.

‘Nobody prepares you for this part of the journey’: Four women discuss life after breast cancer

Breast cancer rates are increasing for women in their 20s to 40s. Four women share how life looks after breast cancer and how they contended with challenges they never saw coming.

Charity fills the gap in pet fostering services for struggling community members in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside

For The Homies - Downtown Eastside Pet Support Society is a new grassroots organization offering much-needed pet fostering and other pet services for community members and their furry friends.

Empowering choices: The importance of advance care planning

Advance care planning empowers individuals to have their health-care preferences honoured, offering peace of mind to both themselves and their loved ones. Yet, despite the importance of these conversations, many people delay or avoid them altogether.

‘We do not need compassionate care: We need a country that cares with compassion’

Conservative politicians have pushed for involuntary treatment, often termed "compassionate care." While compassionate care seems like the easiest answer, the policy is problematic.

Dual HIV/syphilis rapid test aims to lessen stigma, reach underserved communities

As rates of syphilis and HIV continue to climb in Canada, a dual rapid test recently was approved by federal regulators, making it the second of its kind to become available in the country.

‘Are you going to have dementia’? Parkinson’s community struggles to overcome stigma

Parkinson's Disease stigma can cause excessive fear for those newly diagnosed. Advocates are working to change that.

In praise of ‘dual users’

As physicians our goal should be to reduce death, disease and disability, not to tell other people how to live their lives. Dual users deserve our praise and encouragement.

Rising HIV cases in Canada: Putting the numbers in perspective

The rise in HIV infections over the last several years might indicate that the public health system has failed in containing the virus. But the raw numbers don’t tell the full story.

Barriers to Paxlovid are exacerbating our health inequities

Access to Paxlovid has become increasingly challenging. Canada needs to do a better job at making it more accessible to those who would benefit most.

MAiD’s vanishing slippery slope

New data on MAiD sheds much needed light on a topic so broiled in hysteria and unforced errors to seem like some sort of deranged game of political and health-care tennis.

AI offers hope to those suffering from MCAS

The question isn’t whether AI can play a role, it’s whether the global health-care community is willing to invest the necessary resources to unlock its potential.

Dementia patients deserve more than coloured balls and matching games

If that’s the best we can do, we haven’t learned anything about dignity, respect, and authentic life enrichment

A plea to maskless health-care workers from vulnerable patients

Health-care workers have a responsibility to protect their vulnerable patients. Our lives are in your hands.

Move fast and fix things: Canada can’t afford pharmacare delays

A limited national pharmacare plan passed into law recently, but so far it is only a small step toward universal, comprehensive, public drug coverage.