Can the ghost of Tommy Douglas persuade Adrian Dix to offer a lifeline to cystic fibrosis patients?

published on November 30, 2017 by Charlie Smith, in The Georgia Straight

Within the New Democratic Party, Tommy Douglas is perhaps the closest thing to a saint.

The former Baptist minister led the first social democratic government in North America, serving as premier of Saskatchewan from 1944 to 1961.

He created the first publicly owned auto insurer, a public electrical utility, and offered free hospital service to Saskatchewan residents.

...

Not so long ago, HIV/AIDS was also the equivalent of a death sentence. Anyone over the age of 45 can recall seeing live and/or televised images of these patients wasting away, suffering from dementia, coughing chronically, and enduring blistering pink, red, and brown blotches on their faces.

But some amazing work at the B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, led by Dr. Julio Montaner, has helped convert this medical horror into a manageable, lifelong chronic disease through a combination of drugs.

These medications are covered under the provincial drug plan. All British Columbians can take pride in this achievement.

It was another gift from Canada to the world as the B.C. approach has since been copied in many countries, including China.

It's not cheap to provide these medications, but these costs have been partially or possibly completely offset by far lower expenses caused by repeated hospitalizations, premature death, and the loss of these people's potential to contribute to society.

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Julio Montaner

BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS

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Can the ghost of Tommy Douglas persuade Adrian Dix to offer a lifeline to cystic fibrosis patients?

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