Evidence of meeting #6 for Subcommittee on Neurological Disease in the 40th Parliament, 3rd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was done.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
Patrick Brown Conservative Barrie, ON
My guess is that there has probably been a directive to not allow it, which is obviously disconcerting for those who want to have this treatment.
As for the other thing mentioned, I imagine OHIP plays a role in this here in Ontario. Do we know what OHIP's position is on this treatment?
Conservative
Patrick Brown Conservative Barrie, ON
Have there been any inquiries to find out, or are we just not getting a response yet?
Medical Doctor, As an Individual
I spent a morning, I think it was a week ago, at the Ministry of Health trying to get some of the information you've requested, and we're working on getting the answers to the question. I don't have the answers yet.
Conservative
Patrick Brown Conservative Barrie, ON
Those answers are going to be critical as we look at how to sort this out. Obviously it's very important that we have federal action on the research component, but in terms of allowing this treatment, obviously we need to make sure that the appropriate provincial bodies act quickly to allow work such as yours.
The other thing I wanted to get your feedback on is the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada. When we had them on the Hill before, I think they had more of a wait-and-see approach toward this treatment. Why do you think that is, to play devil's advocate? Why do you think there's more caution coming from the MS Society?
Medical Doctor, As an Individual
Again, that's purely speculative. I'm a vascular surgeon. I'm trained to treat venous and arterial anomalies. When I see a venous or arterial anomaly that I think I can treat with relative ease at very low risk, at very low cost, I think I should probably be allowed to treat it.
It comes down to what I said before. It's a bit like waiting for the electrical permit to fix a plumbing problem. It makes no sense to me.
Conservative
Patrick Brown Conservative Barrie, ON
I know we sort of left out Dr. Haacke. Do you have any comments on what obstacles you believe need to be removed within the health system in Canada?
Director, MRI Institute for Biomedical Research, McMaster University
Thank you.
Yes, I think the problem espoused by Dr. McDonald, the comparison between drug studies to treat the stroke versus a direct correction and arterectomy, is a very good analogy to what is happening today.
Double-blinded studies are critical, but there is a very nice paper that was just published on when randomized trials are necessary. Once you have enough evidence to proceed with this, you don't need tens of thousands of cases in order to get started.
So I think the problem here is that someone has to step up to the plate with OHIP and with the other provincial governments to create a province-wide, if not Canadian-wide, plan on how to collect the data that goes with the surgery, because you're going to get constant resistance by the neurologists in this if you don't have some form of research plan associated with it.
I think that having two arms of this, a clinical arm and a research arm running in parallel, is the way you need to do this within the provinces. I don't think the provinces should be stopping the surgery, but they should have some form of monitoring of the surgery that allows the data to be retrospectively analyzed, so that you can follow it on a month-by-month basis and then you can make better determinations as you move forward with this surgery.
But I do agree with Dr. McDonald. This is a very experienced area, so there's really no reason not to be doing that surgery on severe cases.
Conservative
Conservative
Patrick Brown Conservative Barrie, ON
Just briefly, before you adjourn, I think what Kirsty Duncan mentioned at the beginning of the meeting is very important. If Dr. Zamboni is available to see us on June 15, I think it's important to switch the dates. We could easily have ALS come on June 8. I just don't want to miss that.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Joy Smith
I've already taken care of that. We found out he's available on the 15th. So if that's agreeable, we'll bring him in on the 15th. He's not available on the eighth, so we'll bring him in on the 15th.
Does the committee agree to that? Yes.
Thank you so much for meeting with us today. We're very, very pleased that you could be here. I'm so sorry that we have run out of time. Our time is up. We have other things to go to right now.
Liberal
Kirsty Duncan Liberal Etobicoke North, ON
Thank you, Madam Chair.
I would like to say to the committee that I will put motions forward on June 15. I had hoped to do it today, but we have run out of time.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Joy Smith
We've run out of time.
Thank you very much.
The committee is dismissed.
