OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(CCNMatthews - Oct. 3, 2005) - The Canadian Medical Association (CMA) President, Dr. Ruth Collins-Nakai, will be speaking at the Empire Club of Canada on Thursday, October 6, 2005 at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel, in Toronto.
The loose framework known as Medicare has withstood trials and tribulations since its inception over 40 years ago, but a landmark ruling of the Supreme Court of Canada has put all governments on notice that without action now, the system as we know it will die.
CMA President Dr. Ruth Collins-Nakai contends that there is a way forward to ensure all Canadians can get timely access to quality medical care based on their level of need and not their ability to pay. Dr. Collins-Nakai will describe how action and not rhetoric will lead our health care system from being a tired and faded icon, to a new and responsive system ready to care for the next generation of Canadians.
Dr. Ruth Collins-Nakai, a pediatric and adult congenital cardiologist in Edmonton, Alberta, became the first woman President of the Alberta Medical Association in 1987 and fourth woman President of the Canadian Medical Association in 2005. She was both the first woman and first Canadian to chair the Board of Governors of the American College of Cardiology and most recently served as the first woman president of both the Canadian Cardiovascular Society and InterAmerican Society of Cardiology. This year, she was selected by her peers to be the national spokesperson for the Wait Time Alliance of Canada (WTA), which is comprised of the Canadian Medical Association and six national specialty societies.