Accurate Information

I was quite surprised to see my name in an Essential Information release the other day. Until very recently I had never heard of them, and they have never contacted me for permission to print my name.

Yes, I am a proud member of the Board of Directors of the Asthma Society of Canada (ASC) nearing the end of my term of service. By day I am the Director of the Health Leadership Institute at McMaster University where I am a tenured professor of health services. The ASC is Canada’s voice for the patient with asthma, COPD and allergies. The ASC created the Asthma Patient’s Bill of Rights – which is all about living well with asthma including timely access to treatments (which is a huge problem in Canada’s socialized healthcare system.) At the IAPO Congress (International Alliance of Patient Organizations) this year, where I presented a paper on patient-centred care for asthma, I willingly signed the Patient Declaration. I am proud of our work with patients in Canada.

In an ideal world the ASC would have a $3 million budget. For years we have fallen short of that and without the unconditional support of industry (and not just pharmaceutical firms) we would be in a crisis. I welcome Essential Information, whoever you are, to step up and contribute. We need your help too. Asthma is rampant amongst Canadians yet little funding has been allocated to it as a chronic disease by our governments. The ASC does what it can to raise awareness about living well with asthma, to educate patients and providers about best practices in managing their condition, and to get asthma onto the politician’s health funding agenda.

The fact that the ASC accepts unconditional corporate donations had no bearing on my willingness to sign the Patient Declaration – it was the right thing to do. To suggest anything else, as Essential Information has, is irresponsible and rubbish

To contribute to the ASC please refer to our website at www.asthma.ca.

 

D. Wayne Taylor, Ph.D.