September

Audit inspection positions are available for:

• General practitioners 
• Urologists 
• Anesthesiologists 
• Dermatologists 
• Emergency medicine 
• Orthopaedic surgeons 
• Obstetrics and gynecologists 
• Physiatrists 

Candidates should:
• Have practices that fall within the accepted standards of the profession or generally designated by the Patterns of Practice Committee (POPC). 

• Be supportive of the policies and principles of the POPC and licensing body. 

A recent economic study found that increasing highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) treatment for people with HIV/AIDS will provide significant cost savings over a relatively short period of time and help to prevent HIV transmission. 

The analysis demonstrated that increasing HAART treatment coverage from the current estimated 50% to 75% of all clinically eligible British Columbians (HIV-infected individuals with CD4 cell counts below 350 cells/ul) would deliver a net benefit of US $900 million over 30 years.

BCMA Silver Medal of Service
BCMA members are encouraged to nominate physicians or laypersons for the BCMA Silver Medal of Service award. The medal will be presented at the BCMA’s Annual General Meeting in June 2011. 

Physician nominees must have 25 years of membership in good standing in the BCMA, the CMA, and the BC College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia. Nonmedical candidates may be laypersons of Canadian or foreign citizenship. To be eligible for the award, nominees must meet at least one of the following criteria:

President 
Ian Gillespie 
iangillespie@telus.net

Past President 
Brian Brodie 
brian@brodieb.com

President-Elect 
Nasir Jetha 
njetha@telus.net

Chair of the General Assembly
Shelley Ross 
shelley.ross@usa.net

I had the privilege of spending the last winter holiday season with family in the United States. I en­joyed a good part of the time watching endless hours of satellite television. Dominating the news was the American president’s health care reform—a seminal piece of legislation that is intended to help some 47 million US citizens who have no medical insurance. 

As a Canadian, I was well aware of the health situation south of the border. However, it never quite impacted me until I polled friends and family at the dinner table and asked how many were insured. 

hidden