July

It is with great excitement that we announce the first edition of the UBCMJ! The University of British Columbia Medical Journal is a student-run, peer-reviewed academic journal. Currently, over 100 students at UBC from all levels and training and three distributed sites are involved in as writers, artists, reviewers, editors, layout designers, and ex­ecutive directors.

I have recently moved from Ontario to BC in rural family practice. I work in the clinic and hospital full-time in Invermere, BC.

In Ontario every doctor’s office was supplied with a stock of protective masks, gowns, etc., after the deaths of doctors, nurses, and paramedics in the SARS outbreak in Ontario.

What are the BCMA and the Ministry of Health doing to protect front-line health care workers from the next pandemic outbreak?

The recommendations in the HealthLink BC files have been developed based on BC and Canadian evidence and data indicating safe and at-risk human body mercury levels and consumption levels. The BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) and the Ministry of Health Services (MOHS) agree with Health Canada’s review of mercury toxicity levels and the guidelines limiting mercury to below 1.0 ppm and 0.5 ppm for most fish and shellfish species sold in Canada.

The plastic bag covering the May 2009 BCMJ has just sent me over the edge. We cannot recycle plastic bags in Salmon Arm and your bag is just one more useless item to go in our landfill.

Please forgo the plastic wrap and simply label the magazine—like in the good old days before plastic and landfills became inseparable.

—W. Peter Barton, MD
Salmon Arm

The bags we use are biodegradable and compostable. We pay a slight premium for this feature, but think that you will agree that it’s worth it.—ED

Are you aware that medical visits for injuries sustained in motor vehicle accidents (MVAs) are paid for by ICBC and not the Medical Services Plan of BC (MSP)? Ultimately, they are. Pur­suant to the Canada Health Act, the province is required to fund physicians’ fees. However, ICBC and the Ministry of Health have agreed that ICBC will reimburse MSP for services of medical practitioners that are required as a result of an ICBC claim. This agreement enables us to bill MSP directly through Teleplan, thereby facilitating the billing and remuneration process.