Flying used to be such an adventure, and people actually got dressed up if they were traveling by air. There was a mutual understanding among passengers and cabin crew that we were a favored few and warranted special attention, which in turn engendered proper behavior from all parties. Being addressed as “sir” by flight attendants (“ma’am” disappeared a while ago) is the only thing that remains from the golden days of flying; the accompanying smile was seen as redundant long ago.
A number of years ago I wrote an editorial about the early indicators of physician shortages in this country, the additional specter of a graying/unhappy physician demographic, and the seeming lack of attention both of these red flags seemed to be generating in our legislators and educational institutions.
Trail BC family physician Dr Blair Stanley is training to do something he hasn’t done since his residency 14 years ago—deliver babies.
“I’m excited about getting into obstetrics and this community badly needs it,” says Dr Stanley, who is enrolled in a new program supporting general practitioners and family practitioners to refresh and regain their obstetrical skills.
Every day there are close to 700 car crashes in BC. These crashes kill at least one person and result in more than 215 people being injured. Some of these injuries are life altering, while others, although less severe, require the same careful management to ensure they do not have long-term effects.
Although Dr Geoffrey Appleton, BCMA president, has concluded that the Conversation on Health failed to provide any consensus (“Consensus? There is no consensus,” BCMJ, 2008;50(1):10, Health Minister George Abbott suggests otherwise. In his greeting on the web site www.bcconversationonhealth.ca, Mr Abbott mentions four points that he has taken from the government’s process to elicit opinions from British Columbians about their health care system.
