Health committee  In my experience within cardiovascular medicine, I think there's very good collaboration. In one way we're unique because more people die from our diseases than anything else, so we get to do a lot of studies on these patients. Clinical trials are always coming out. As a result,

Health committee  It's difficult for me because I can't say I understand all the financial workings of the federal government.

Health committee  The closest experience I have to this is I sit on the AED committee for the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario. On an annual basis we read all the requests for AEDs to be put into communities, and we made the decisions as to where they went. One thing that can be done.... It

Health committee  I think I'd give cardiologists' the first right to be able to say something like that. Anyway, the funds have to be there. Most people feel that health care and education are two supremely important things. We just have to make sure we use the funds we have available for those t

Health committee  I'll speak briefly to that. I think one thing is trying to make sure that doctors don't have to spend as much time on the road actually travelling to rural areas. For example, right now Dr. Ballagh drives to Kirkland Lake to provide services there. The time he spends driving coul

Health committee  Thank you. I did actually try to sneak that answer into another answer. I think one thing that would be very helpful, since these technologies cost money, is that rather than necessarily relying on communities and co-ops trying to pay for them, perhaps there could be federal gr

Health committee  Yes, absolutely. I think it could be used by any kind of first responder who has the ability to deal with a crisis situation but may not have that medical expertise to deal with it. The automatic external defibrillators you talked about that are across the country are great for

Health committee  No, I would say there is no reason, especially if there are difficulties, as you describe, of having to wait six months despite being in Canada's largest metropolis. Anybody should be able to access this. I think where the biggest problem is and what those statistics I revealed

Health committee  You know what? I'm—

Health committee  Okay. Yes, go ahead.

Health committee  I'll speak to that first. I'm still a dinosaur. As much as I love technology, I still have a non-EMR system in my office. However, one of the reasons I've held out is that I'm going to be relocating my practice to a new building within our community just down the street. It's g

Health committee  If I speak specifically to having a heart attack, or a myocardial infarc, as we call it, having a good general assessment—and it doesn't always have to be with a family physician, it could be with a nurse practitioner or a very skilled nurse even—and going through a complete risk

Health committee  I would say the technology within cardiology exists today. We just need the dollars to get it out there in those communities. Again, a well-done risk profile, a history, a stress test, and an echocardiogram done remotely by those technologists so I can see them from wherever I'm

Health committee  I'll start, and I'll let Dr. Ballagh add his comments. I think its multifactorial, just as you referred to. I think part of it is that when you work in a rural community—and I have colleagues who do that; they work very hard. They don't tend to get home in time for supper at fiv

Health committee  Madam Chair, is there time for me to answer that second question?