by Barbara Sibbald, Editor, News and Humanities, CMAJ
For the past 30 years, in poll after poll with only one exception, Canadians have declared that health care is the most important issue they face. For this election, the health issues are complex and numerous: our aging population, physician-assisted dying, mental health and pharmacare, to name but a few.
The following is a selection of CMAJ articles on health care issues that the new government will have to address, regardless of their stance during the election.
News: Election 2015: Health primer
The federal role in health care
Editorial: We deserve a government that respects scientific integrity
Editorial: Why the federal government must lead in health care
Editorial: Austerity and fiscal prudence are health issues
News: Dire prognostication with death of Health Accord
Editorial: The new federal health strategy: give the money and run
News: Reining in public spending on health
Seniors strategy
News: Physicians want action on seniors’ care
News: Canadians want seniors’ care program
News: Canada needs seniors’ health strategy: Report Card
Aboriginal health
News: Aboriginal youth suicide rises in Northern Ontario
News: HIV in Saskatchewan merits urgent response
Editorial: Caring for Aboriginal patients requires trust and respect, not courtrooms
News: Nunavut calls inquest into record number of suicides
Commentary: Tuberculosis in Nunavut: looking back, moving forward
News: Aboriginal health programming under siege, critics charge
Physician-assisted dying
News: Assurance for MDs who refuse to assist in dying
News: CMA developing assisted death guidelines
News: Many doctors won’t provide assisted dying
Blog: Physician-assisted dying in Canada: the gavel has fallen
Commentary: Physician-assisted death: time to move beyond Yes or No
News: Quebec’s end-of-life bill makes palliative care more transparent
Humanities (book review): Helping certain patients end their lives
Editorial: Choosing when and how we die: Are we ready to perform therapeutic homicide?
Commentary: Navigating assisted death and end-of-life care
Research: Physician-assisted deaths under the euthanasia law in Belgium: a population-based survey
Mental health
Research: Child abuse and mental disorders in Canada
News: Mental illness stigma in health care settings a barrier to care
News: Police call for more mental health services
Research: Wait times in the emergency department for patients with mental illness
News: Mental health strategy needs national buy-in
Review: Common mental health problems in immigrants and refugees: general approach in primary care
Pharmacare
Research: Estimated cost of universal public coverage of prescription drugs in Canada
Analysis: The road to competitive generic drug prices in Canada
Research: The effect of cost on adherence to prescription medications in Canada
Editorial: Can Canada get on with national pharmacare already?