Instilling Awareness
What an absolutely refreshing change in perspectives and attitudes, with the incoming president-elect of the Canadian Medical Association demonstrating his dedication to the betterment of all patients whom physicians serve. The focus has for now been removed from the purported malfunctioning of Canada's universal health care system, and the urging of late to permit a parallel system of private medical enterprise.
Dr. Jeffrey Turnbull, currently chief of staff at The Ottawa Hospital, as medical director for Ottawa Inner City Health delivering care to the homeless for over a decade, knows how vulnerable and readily subject to catastrophic health conditions people in poverty become. Addressing a forum on homelessness Dr. Turnbull pointed out that research indicates that those living in homeless shelters have a 31% chance of living to 75, as opposed to the general population's 80%.
The cost to the individual, the person living in poverty, the homeless, the societally-abandoned is obvious, in lack of quality of life. But the cost to society at large is more than substantial, with a sky-high incidence of life-impairing diseases and illnesses burdening the health community through tax dollars to deal with chronic conditions requiring intensive, expansive, expensive medical and hospitalization care.
"Just from a pure health perspective, there is a financial imperative that we address issues of poverty early on because poverty reduction strategies save money and make sense." His address to The Alliance to End Homelessness at the University of Ottawa, was timely, given that the federal government at long last has begun a five-year funding of research into homelessness, revolving around stabilizing the homeless through homes of their own.
Dr. Turnbull stressed that the issues of poverty and lack of adequate housing and social assistance should be categorized as basic human rights issues. All citizens of a country have an equal right to health care, housing, personal safety and privacy. Those of us who work for a living and have the good fortune to have had a sound family experience, good education and remunerative and satisfying workplace opportunities resent the need to support those less fortunate.
But that we do so remains the yardstick that measures the social maturity of any society.
Dr. Jeffrey Turnbull, currently chief of staff at The Ottawa Hospital, as medical director for Ottawa Inner City Health delivering care to the homeless for over a decade, knows how vulnerable and readily subject to catastrophic health conditions people in poverty become. Addressing a forum on homelessness Dr. Turnbull pointed out that research indicates that those living in homeless shelters have a 31% chance of living to 75, as opposed to the general population's 80%.
The cost to the individual, the person living in poverty, the homeless, the societally-abandoned is obvious, in lack of quality of life. But the cost to society at large is more than substantial, with a sky-high incidence of life-impairing diseases and illnesses burdening the health community through tax dollars to deal with chronic conditions requiring intensive, expansive, expensive medical and hospitalization care.
"Just from a pure health perspective, there is a financial imperative that we address issues of poverty early on because poverty reduction strategies save money and make sense." His address to The Alliance to End Homelessness at the University of Ottawa, was timely, given that the federal government at long last has begun a five-year funding of research into homelessness, revolving around stabilizing the homeless through homes of their own.
Dr. Turnbull stressed that the issues of poverty and lack of adequate housing and social assistance should be categorized as basic human rights issues. All citizens of a country have an equal right to health care, housing, personal safety and privacy. Those of us who work for a living and have the good fortune to have had a sound family experience, good education and remunerative and satisfying workplace opportunities resent the need to support those less fortunate.
But that we do so remains the yardstick that measures the social maturity of any society.
Labels: Government of Canada, Health, Human Relations, Ontario
posted by Pieface | 6:00 PM
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