A new report by the Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology is receiving mixed reviews from the medical community, leaving important questions for university students.
The Health of Canadians—The Federal Role: Recommendations for Reform suggests ways Canada’s health care system should evolve, but also has implications for medical research at the university level.
Nicknamed the “Kirby Report” after the committee’s chair, Senator Michael Kirby, the report’s most publicized recommendation is for the federal government to spend $5 billion to improve the quality of health care for Canadians. But one health expert said there are some unwelcome strings attached.
Dr. Michael Rachlis, a health policy analyst based in Toronto, said that while the Kirby report strongly supports the public health insurance system, it also leaves opportunities open for privatization in many areas.
“[The report] wishes to stimulate more for-profit delivery within the system. It opens the door wider to more for-profit hospitals and clinics,” Rachlis said.
But the report could have more direct consequences on the University of Toronto, with its recommendation for more privatized health research.
“Canadian universities have gone way beyond the danger point in letting pharmaceutical companies dictate research,” said Rachlis. He cited last year’s scandals involving Nancy Olivieri and David Healy, two U of T-affiliated health researchers, as examples of how privatized research could hurt academic freedom. “It is extremely short-sighted to let the pharmaceutical companies dictate the research agenda,” he added.
Among the committee’s other recommendations were calls for federal support for teaching hospitals, structural changes to the way health care centres are funded, and increased funding for home-care and palliative care.
Senator Kirby was not returning phone calls Wednesday.
The Kirby report is the sixth in a series of papers on the future of healthcare in Canada
Dr. Rachlis said it’s important for students to pay attention to these issues even if they’re not directly involved in the medical field.
“It’s more important than ever that Canadians be informed citizens,” he said. “Fewer people participate in public debate…it’s important for students to be citizens.”
“It’s important because your generation is going to have to clean up the messes we leave for you.”
