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Why is our health care system and government broken?
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Dr. Zafar Essak, MD - Vancouver, BC - October 6, 2024
I decided to write a series of posts covering different aspects of our health care system and government to help us apply our thinking to the problems and solutions. We need a change in our expectations of professional leaders, government leaders and how government works if we are to save our publicly funded health care system and our democratic rights.
Part 1. How health care administration over took funding for doctors.
Part 2. Early closure of debate erodes our parliamentary democracy.
Part 3. The importance of open dialog and informed consent.
Stay tuned for more to come.
Why is our health care system and government broken? Part 4.
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Dr Zafar Essak - Vancouver, BC - October 10, 2024
Part 4 in a series covering different aspects of our health care system and government. Let’s apply our thinking to the problems and solutions.
Part 4. No consent called "passive consent" as BC elementary and high school students are presented survey questionnaires.
First, you may not even realize that in BC elementary and high schools, students of all ages (early years, middle years and youth) have been presented with surveys to complete. This has been done without requiring parental consent or even awareness.
The BC NDP Government refers to it as "passive consent". Teachers are providing children with tablet computers to answer questions about themselves, their families and others living in the household. Children who are reluctant and don’t know if they should do this are reassured it is all fine, they can trust this is all okay.
Some children may be too young to realize that it’s like talking to strangers. These days we should all know the dangers are worse with computers online. So, why would we be teaching young children to reveal information into a computer? (1)
Furthermore, who is PopDataBC and what do they do? Who funds it?
Why is our health care system and government broken? Part 3.
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Dr. Zafar Essak, MD - Vancouver, BC - October 9, 2024
Part 3 in a series covering different aspects of our health care system and government. Let’s apply our thinking to the problems and solutions.
Part 3. The importance of open dialog and informed consent.
Open dialog is the foundation for informed consent and trust.
We expect informed consent to be upheld in all interactions with medical and health professionals along with other professionals and individuals in our lives including teachers, lawyers, paramedics and others.
Would we allow medical treatments to be given to us and our children without our informed consent?
For informed consent we need open dialog, assuring that the interaction is entirely open and transparent and the provider conducts themselves confidentially and ethically without conflict of interest. Information must not be withheld, delayed or obscured. This is the foundation of trust.
Have our political leaders, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and BC NDP Premier David Eby, failed to uphold the importance of open dialog and informed consent?
Why is our health care system and government broken? Part 2.
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Dr. Zafar Essak, MD - Vancouver, BC - October 6, 2024.
Part 2 in a series covering different aspects of our health care system and government. Let’s apply our thinking to the problems and solutions.
Part 2. Early closure of debate erodes our parliamentary democracy.
Early closure of debate is important to health care because it was used by the current BC NDP government to push through the Health Professions and Occupations Act (HPOA) in 2022, with changes to the licensing of doctors and other health care professionals.(1) Early closure of debate was also used by the BC NDP to push through three additional far reaching pieces of legislation.
So, what is early closure of debate and why does it matter?
Why is our health care system and government broken? Part 1.
Public
Dr. Zafar Essak, MD - Vancouver, BC - October 6, 2024.
Part 1 in a series covering different aspects of our health care system and government. Let’s apply our thinking to the problems and solutions.
Part 1. How health care administration over took funding for doctors.
Every day we hear reports that our health care system is broken and having difficulty keeping up with the health needs of patients and people throughout BC and across the country. Politicians say it’s a lot of unexpected circumstances, they’re doing the best that can be done; they're following what the experts are telling them, and we should trust them to carry on with it.
Are these unexpected circumstances or are they foreseeable outcomes?
Documentary "Duty To Document" highlights the erosion of democracy in BC, in Canada, and around the World
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Dr Z. Essak, MD - Vancouver BC - June 6, 2021.
This is a very important and timely documentary illustrating from our own governments in BC and Canada how critical records are disappearing from public view. It highlights the "triple delete scandal" from 2015 when it came to light the BC Government was improperly deleting email records concerning missing and murdered indigenous women along the "Highway of Tears". The documentary illustrates the escalating, troubling trend in the use of post-it notes and the failure to keep records. A trend seen not only in government, but in associations and corporations striking at the heart of transparency and democracy.
Will we see changes to copyright laws in Canada?
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2019-06-21 Vancouver, BC
Canadian copyright laws were updated in 2012. Now, in 2019, two Canadian Parliamentary Standing Committees delivered reports with recommendations on changes to copyright laws in Canada.
Will we see any changes to the copyright laws in the near future?
Cannabis, marijuana, what do we know?
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2016-10-16 Dr Z. Essak, MD - Vancouver, BC
Cannabis is a plant that has been part of human history for thousands of years and on every continent. The uses of cannabis are far beyond just medical and recreational use.
What do we really know about cannabis?
Is cannabis more than just good for medical and health use, is it also good for the economy and the environment?
Do we need public oversight to the conduct of Judges?
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2016-10-05 Dr Z. Essak, MD - Vancouver, BC
Before we reach a crisis with the Judiciary in Canada is it time for public oversight to the conduct of Judges?
Recently, we have seen the case in Alberta where justice has been delayed and could possibly be derailed because a Judge was not up to date with applicable laws.
We have also seen a case of inappropriate remarks by a Judge, on keeping legs together, raising questions as to him continuing as a Judge.
These are not isolated cases. The Canadian Judicial Council receives many complaints annually, 159 in 2014 and 173 in 2015, on the conduct of Judges from across the country. How do they deal with them?
Will the Federal Government introduce legislation to add public oversight to the Canadian Judicial Council and committee responsible for dealing with complaints on the conduct of Judges?
Not sham, not flam, real substance
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2016-09-30 Dr Z. Essak, MD - Vancouver, BC
For many Canadians electing the Trudeau Liberal government in 2015 was in hope of a fresh move away from the sham of some past governments.
It was also in hope for more than just flamboyance, indeed a hope for real substance. Meaningful and effective governance of our country and in world affairs.
Almost one year into the Liberal mandate, 1 down 3 to go, and where are we?
What is the plan that will propel our economy, save our environment, ensure transparency and reduce bureaucracy?
