The Quebec health-care system is in a state of crisis. ER wait times are dangerously high, and there is a chronic lack of staff—including nurses who are exceptionally underpaid and overworked. Amidst a similar crisis in Ontario, Premier Doug Ford unveiled plans to increase the role of private clinics in[Read More…]
Tag: health care
Quebec’s hospital vaccine mandate deadline extensions highlight a crumbling health care system
Quebec recently extended its deadline for the mandatory vaccination of all health care workers until Nov. 15. Additionally, the province announced that all people over the age of 13 would need to show proof of vaccination or their vaccine passport before entering health care facilities for non-essential reasons, such as[Read More…]
Midterms & mental health: Alternative student resources
Navigating mental wellness services outside of the McGill’s health clinic
“Hey, so I did a thing…”
I found out that I was pregnant on the same night that the Chicago Cubs won the World Series. The euphoria of my hometown’s victory was accompanied by a devastating plus-sign on a pee stick. I was 17-years-old. The morning after, I called Planned Parenthood and set up an appointment[Read More…]
Quebec’s quest for monolingual domination makes healthcare less accessible
This past summer, I decided to stay in Montreal instead of returning home to the States. In June, I walked around the McGill Ghetto and the Plateau, delivering my CV and asking for interviews. Working in the service industry means that you work with people, so, without fail, each time[Read More…]
A difficult transition into the adult care of chronic conditions
Anyone who has ever been a first year in university can remember how overwhelming it can be at times: Navigating campus, taking on large course loads, making new friends, and perhaps even living away from home. Eighteen-year-old freshmen who live with a chronic illness, like type 1 diabetes, face the[Read More…]
Systemic racial discrimination of indigenous children in Canadian public policy
“What if 165,000 children were told by a government that they were going to get less education, less health, less child welfare, and less [access to] clean water […] because of their race?” Dr. Cindy Blackstock, of the Gitksan First Nation, asked in her keynote address at the third annual[Read More…]
Médecins Sans Frontières: Transcending the bounds of international medical care
“It is important that at one point you draw a line,” Dr. Joanne Liu, McGill alumna and international president of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), said at McGill’s Global Health Night on Nov. 1. “You will have to draw your own line as you go around this kind of world and[Read More…]
McGill students and faculty push for vaccine education
“Prevention against morbidity and mortality by vaccination is one of the biggest medical successes in humanity. Never forget that fact. Get vaccinated,” Dr. Jörg Fritz, assistant professor in McGill’s Department of Microbiology and Immunology, told the audience at the first night of the three-part seminar series entitled “Let’s Talk About[Read More…]
Quebec promises to abolish health care accessory fees by early 2017
On Sept. 14, Quebec Minister of Health Dr. Gaetan Barrette announced that as of January 2017, Quebec doctors will no longer be allowed to charge accessory fees—additional fees on services already provided by the Quebec health insurance. Accessory fees have generally been charged for services such as eye drops, injections,[Read More…]
