Children, Politics and Medicare
Experiences in a Canadian Province

Geoffrey C. Robinson and George R.F. Elliot

About the Book

"The experience of two full careers in the B.C. health-care system is evident both in the content and in the attitudes expressed in this book, and results in wise commentary." B.C. Medical Journal

This book is a comprehensive exploration of the influence of medicare on the development of population-based health care and selected programs for different groups of children in British Columbia. The word "medicare" is often taken simply to mean universal medical care. However, a variety of other services and programs can also be encompassed by the term, twenty-four of which are discussed in this book.

The programs described are local but the problems they address are national and international. They represent an approach to management of some important health problems such as regional perinatal and newborn care, hospital services, ambulance services, mental health services, and alcohol and drug programs. The evidence suggests that medicare has encouraged the development of population-based medicine, but more in the institution than in the community. The majority of child and youth programs were developed as supplements to previously existing adult programs.

About the Authors

Dr. Geoffrey C. Robinson, Professor Emeritus, Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Columbia, pioneered the development and application of innovative approaches to health care for children in hospital and in the community.

Dr. George R.F. Elliot joined the Ministry of Health in British Columbia in 1946 and held a number of senior positions, culminating in his appointment as Deputy Minister of Health, Community Health Programs (1969-77). He has played a dominant role in the evolution of medicare in British Columbia and Canada.

Table of Contents

1. Personal and Population Medicine
2. The Canadian Health Care System: The Role of the Federal Government
3. The Provincial Health Care System in British Columbia
4. The Division of Vital Statistics
5. The British Columbian Health Surveillance Registry
6. Acute and Long Stay Hospital Services
7. The Provincial Biochemical Disease Program
8. Services for Children with Cancer
9. Children with Chronic Physical Illness
10. British Columbia Ambulance Services
11. British Columbia Drug and Poison Information Centre
12. British Columbia Maternal and Neonatal Program
13. Dental Health Program
14. Mental Health Services for Children/Youth
15. Services for Children with Cerebral Palsy
16. Speech and Hearing Services
17. Alcohol and Drug Programs
18. Medical Genetic Services
19. Services to the Handicapped
20. Developmental Screening of Infants and Preschool Children
21. The Evolution and Scope of Population-based Medicine in British Columbia
22. Health Care Services for Children and Youth

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