Be Aware Health Care | June 6th, 2023

Canadian Recall on Multivitamin | Choking Hazard

Health Canada has issued a recall for Nature's Bounty multivitamin gummies for kids due to a missing label that poses a choking hazard for children under the age of four. The recall includes twelve lots of the product sold in Canada between January and May of this year.

Health Canada advises parents not to give these vitamins to toddlers and recommends returning the recalled gummies to local pharmacies for proper disposal. Reimbursement can be obtained by contacting the company, Nestlé Health Science. Any concerns regarding side effects can be reported to Health Canada.

In this week’s email:

Ontario

1. 98% of Ontarian’s Say ‘No’ To Privatization

2. Ontario Doctors Sound The Alarm | Primary Care Crisis

3. Ontario Extends Summer ER Staffing Funding to Ensure Access to Care

4. Ontario Health Care Budget Surplus: $4.4 Billion Available for New Initiatives

5. Closure of Minden, Ontario Emergency Department Sparks Outrage and Community Determination

Canada 🇨🇦

1. Canada Takes Groundbreaking Step: Health Warnings to Appear on Individual Cigarettes

2. Climate Change Drive Surge in Lyme Disease Cases Across Canada

Ontario

98% of Ontarian’s Say ‘No’ To Privatization

More than 380,000 Ontarians have voted against the privatization of public hospital services in a citizen-led referendum organized by the Ontario Health Coalition. The ballots, totaling almost 400,000 votes, were hand-delivered to the provincial government.

The referendum comes in response to Bill 60, which expands the role of private clinics in providing publicly funded surgeries and procedures to address long wait times. Critics argue that the bill will increase costs for patients and taxpayers while underutilizing existing operating rooms in public hospitals. Advocates see the referendum as the start of an ongoing campaign to protect public health care in Ontario.

Ontario Doctors Sound The Alarm | Primary Care Crisis 

Ontario's doctors are sounding the alarm about the crisis in primary care and the record levels of burnout among physicians. The Ontario Medical Association (OMA) has identified three immediate priorities for strengthening the healthcare system: addressing the primary care crisis, reducing the administrative burden on physicians, and expanding home and community-based care. The OMA believes that every Ontarian should have access to an interprofessional team of primary care providers led by a family doctor. However, the statistics paint a worrisome picture: 2.2 million Ontarians do not have a family doctor, and a significant number of physicians are considering retiring or making changes to their practice.

Medical students are also showing less interest in becoming family doctors. Burnout among physicians is at an all-time high, with administrative burden being a major contributing factor. The OMA commends the government's efforts to reduce administrative red tape but emphasizes the need for integrated electronic medical records and a centralized intake and referral system.

Additionally, improving and expanding home and community care is crucial to reducing unnecessary emergency visits, hospital admissions, and wait times. The OMA is committed to working with the government and other stakeholders to find solutions that will lead to better patient care and address the challenges faced in primary care.

Ontario Extends Summer ER Staffing Funding to Ensure Access to Care

Ontario has announced the renewal of funding to support emergency room (ER) staffing in rural and northern hospitals during the summer. However, the government has indicated that this program will come to an end after this year.

The funding program, which helped prevent nearly 1,500 temporary ER closures last summer, expired on March 31. Health Minister Sylvia Jones has now confirmed the extension of funding for another summer, following extensive consultations with healthcare partners such as the Ontario Medical Association and Ontario Health.

The ministry will closely monitor the program's effectiveness and evaluate the most suitable means of supporting emergency departments in the summer of 2024 and beyond. The lack of funding since April has led to temporary ER closures in some northern hospitals. Nevertheless, the funding announcement offers a more promising outlook for their summer staffing situation.

The program was initially established during the pandemic to compensate doctors from urban areas who fill shifts on a locum basis in northern and rural hospitals. They receive a premium for their work through this program.

Ontario Health Care Budget Surplus: $4.4 Billion Available for New Initiatives

According to the Financial Accountability Office of Ontario (FAO), the province has a surplus of $4.4 billion in health care funding, exceeding the amount required to sustain existing programs and commitments until 2026.

This surplus opens the possibility of allocating the funds towards new initiatives, improving current programs, or reducing the province's debt. The FAO attributes the surplus to an infusion of over $15 billion in new health care funding outlined in the recent provincial budget. A previous FAO report had projected a $10 billion shortfall over the same period, highlighting the positive turnaround.

In a bid to address projected shortages of nurses and personal support workers, Ontario has also secured a health care deal with the federal government, resulting in over $8 billion in funding, which will be utilized to recruit and hire additional health care professionals.

Closure of Minden, Ontario Emergency Department Sparks Outrage and Community Determination

The closure of the emergency department at the hospital in Minden, Ontario has saddened and disappointed residents. The decision was made due to staffing challenges, and services will now be consolidated at the Haliburton hospital. The closure announcement came as a surprise to the community, and concerns were raised about the timing, given the population increase during the summer.

Residents question the decision, citing the higher patient volume in Minden compared to Haliburton. Despite fundraising for a legal injunction, the closure proceeded, and lawyers are exploring potential challenges under the Canada Health Act.

The community has been actively campaigning for alternatives and a one-year moratorium. A proposal for an urgent care clinic at the Minden site has been suggested, offering same-day treatment for non-life-threatening health concerns. While some see it as a positive step, residents remain determined to fight for the reinstatement of emergency services in Minden.

Canada 🇨🇦

Canada Takes Groundbreaking Step: Health Warnings to Appear on Individual Cigarettes

Canada has announced that it will be the first country in the world to require health warnings to be printed directly on individual cigarettes. The new regulations, known as the Tobacco Products Appearance, Packaging, and Labelling Regulations, aim to help adults quit smoking, protect youth and non-tobacco users from nicotine addiction, and reduce the appeal of tobacco.

The health warnings will be printed on the tipping paper of individual cigarettes, little cigars, tubes, and other tobacco products. The regulations will come into force on August 1, 2023, with a phased implementation. By the end of April 2024, retailers will carry tobacco product packages featuring the new health warnings. The first cigarettes with individual health warnings will be king-size cigarettes, available by the end of July 2024, followed by regular-size cigarettes and little cigars by April 2025.

The measures also include strengthening health-related messages on tobacco product packages and extending the requirement for health-related messaging to all tobacco product packages. The regulations support Canada's target of reducing tobacco use to less than 5% by 2035. The announcement is part of Canada's efforts to raise awareness about the health hazards of tobacco use and protect public health.

Climate Change Drive Surge in Lyme Disease Cases Across Canada

The increasing impact of climate change is leading to a significant rise in Lyme disease cases throughout Canada, with tick populations expanding and new infection hotspots emerging nationwide.

Data from the Public Health Agency of Canada reveals a substantial growth in reported Lyme disease cases in recent years, primarily driven by warmer temperatures. The expansion of tick populations, particularly blacklegged ticks, which are the main carriers of Lyme disease, is attributed to the changing climate and the availability of suitable conditions for their survival.

The trend poses a threat to public health, necessitating greater vigilance and awareness among Canadians. Moreover, recent studies suggest that ticks infected with the Lyme disease-causing bacteria may have increased survival rates during winter, potentially impacting future population growth. As the risk of Lyme disease escalates and ticks adapt to extreme temperatures, researchers are exploring new avenues for treatment and addressing the persistent symptoms associated with the disease.

Thanks For Reading!

Feel free to email us back with any feedback or questions.

Share with friends and family!