The Canadian Medical Association (CMA) is calling on the people of Canada for their input on how to make them healthier. The Associate has launched a slew of town meetings in providences such as Winnipeg (where it already happened on Monday), Calgary, Charlottetown, Hamilton and Montreal.
People in these communities will be able to voice their opinions in person at the town hall meetings, as well as online about what Medicare in Canada should look like in the future.
In these meetings they hope to figure out what external issues are affecting Canadians to become sick or suffer from poor health.
The Winnipeg town hall meeting focused on aboriginal health. At the North End Family Centre located in Winnipeg, many who are seen are those who struggle financially to meet day-to-day needs, and are not receiving proper healthcare.
Kyle Mason, executive director at the center, says the facility sees at least 900 people a month. “Barriers like racism and poverty get in the way of people in his neighborhood getting proper healthcare,” he stated.
Mason also went on to say that if doctors could make house calls, it would definitely help those living in poverty. "Having to bundle up your kids and walk them down or try to take a very busy and noisy bus — [with] one, two, three kids — can be a very big task, and it takes a lot of time and energy," commented Mason.
Some of the questions framing the discussions at the town hall meetings are:
- Do Canadians want the Canada Health Act to include broadened subjects such as long-term care and pharmacare?
- How can Canadians as a whole make sure no one is denied efficient healthcare, regardless of their ethnic background or income?
In addition to town hall meetings, the CMA is also administering surveys in order to take the correct measures in modernizing the Canadian healthcare system. No matter what the medium, this change will not come without the voices of Canadians themselves.
Edited by
Braden Becker
