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Quebec
Assisted suicide
bill introduced
MONTREAL —
On June 12, Bloc Québecois MP Francine Lalonde
introduced Bill C-562, the "right to die with dignity"
bill, to legalize euthanasia performed by physicians.
Though the proposal, which would exempt doctors from
murder charges if certain conditions are met, has little
chance of even being put to a vote, it's already come
under attack. An earlier iteration of essentially the
same law was quashed in late 2005 when the Liberal minority
Parliament dissolved.
Feds
wishy-washy on harm reduction
QUEBEC CITY —
After a BC judge ruled in May that Ottawa couldn't shut
down Vancouver's safe-injection site, the Quebec government
announced it's considering implementing a slew of safe-injection
sites. Federal Health Minister Tony Clement, who's against
the Vancouver site, didn't condemn Quebec outright.
"Clement's public hedging on Quebec's proposal is further
proof that his decision appears to be based on political
science and not the real thing," said CMA President
Dr Brian Day.
New
Brunswick
College only interested
in sex: MD
MIRAMICHI —
Speaking at the inquiry into dodgy pathology tests at
the Miramichi Regional Health Authority by disgraced
pathologist Dr Rajgopal Menon, former VP medical and
retired pathologist John McKay laid part of the blame
with the NB College. The College, he said, is very quick
to punish docs for sexual indiscretions, but it's less
interested in bad medical practice. Dr McKay added that
he warned the Miramichi hospital boss not to hire Dr
Menon after hearing tales of his poor performance while
he worked in Saint John, but was ignored. The inquiry
has wrapped up until September.
Prince
Edward Island
Family may leave
over FP shortage
KILDARE CAPE —
A rural PEI family whose two sons have celebral palsy
and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is considering leaving the
province because they haven't been able to find an FP.
Several days after the family's story broke, Health
Minister Doug Currie was crowing that he'd managed to
recruit two new FPs to the island. PEI now has 80 physicians
in total — more than it's ever had.
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Hot
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Nova Scotia
ATVs-for-kids scheme
galls MDs
HALIFAX —
Spending $230,000 on all-terrain vehicles for kids was,
in retrospect, "not the appropriate thing to do," admitted
Nova Scotia Premier Rodney MacDonald. Complaints poured
in about the Ministry of Health Promotion project not
just from taxpayers but from concerned physicians as
well. The ATVs were purchased for "safety programs"
for kids 6 to 15, and to study the health benefits of
ATV riding. Doctors Nova Scotia and officials at the
IWK Health Centre say children under 16 shouldn't use
ATVs.
Newfoundland
Raise begets jealousy
among doctors
ST JOHN'S —
Like Joseph's Biblical brothers after he received the
famous coat of many colours, Newfoundland doctors are
incensed over a particularly generous raise given recently
to their pathologist brothers and sisters. The government
announced the $73,000 wage increase in late May to attract
and keep pathologists after the Rock was shaken by the
ongoing breast cancer hormone testing inquiry. The province's
medical association says the new raise creates a two-class
pay scale.
The
North
Craft session teaches
safe sex
YELLOWKNIFE, NT
— Youth workers and a public health nurse
are using crafts and frank talk to get the safe sex
message out to Northwest Territories teens. Dildos were
made out of wood and clay and condoms were repurposed
as prophylactic art at a late June Yellowknife workshop.
"People liked the crafts that we did," youth worker
Lauren Bulckaert told the Yellowknifer. The territory
has a worryingly high teen STI rate, one of the highest
in the country. The rate among 15- to 24-year-olds is
11% for females and 6% for males (the rate among men
may be higher as many aren't screened regularly), according
to a February report.
Compiled
by Sam Solomon & Gillian Woodford
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