Mr. Speaker, medication errors continue to claim the lives of Canadians.
Last week it was revealed that two dialysis patients lost their lives when they were given the wrong IV solution, potassium chloride instead of sodium chloride. At least nine Canadians have been killed this same way in the last four years. Hospitals are taking steps to prevent this from happening again, but how many more lives have to be lost before Health Canada fixes this problem?
Up to 10,000 Canadians die each year due to adverse drug reactions. Less than 10% of those events are actually reported.
Last month I tabled a motion again calling for the government to consider mandatory reporting of all serious adverse drug reactions. The House approved my motion, but the government has still not moved toward mandatory reporting. Does a vote in this House not actually mean anything?
Men, women and children are dying because of medication errors. We can and we must do better. The problem will only get worse unless we act now.