There are two issues that are significant. The notion of the right to medical safety is beginning to surface in all western health care systems. Ten years ago, this issue wasn't even discussed. We've only begun to talk about this in recent years, and it is becoming a major concern for the French, English, European and Canadian health care systems. Health care must not only be efficient and ethical, but also safe.
Quebec was the first province in Canada to legislate on this matter, and Manitoba followed suit in 2005. There is a current trend to begin acknowledging this principle. The principle must be part and parcel of a framework, something similar to section 3 of the Health and Social Services Act. In all decisions regarding the management and delivery of health care, safety must be guaranteed, among other things. A patient's right to drug safety must be exercised in several ways, such as quality control, advisories, or interruption of drug distribution. To my mind, a patient's right to drug safety must be provided for in the legislation proper, and not in the preamble. This strikes me as a significant step forward.