England's 800-Year-Old Hospital Will Live on Canada's First Female
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Docket: 1-5498 Initial: JN 15498 March 24/98 CMAJ /Page 709 Customer: CMAJ-Mar 24/98 News and analysis appeared on my television screen to UCH, it will be complete by 2005. specialist Martin Gale McLoughlin, explain what he called the decline in The hospitals already operate as a sin- thoracic surgeon Noah Carpenter medicine’s ‘professional image.’ Our gle trust and individual departments and Dalhousie University medical problem, it seems, is that we no were combined several years ago. student Robert Johnson, Jr. longer ‘radiate success.’ For a mo- Proposals for the Guy’s and St. ment I hoped — although in vain — Thomas’s Hospital Trust place casu- Sexual minorities report he would suggest that we follow the alty and medical and surgical ser- slams health system advice of Dr. Samuel Johnson: ‘A suc- vices at the St. Thomas site, with cessful doctor needs 3 things. A top nonemergency work being relegated A report by the Coalition for Lesbian hat to give him authority; a paunch to to Guy’s. — © Caroline Richmond and Gay Rights in Ontario claims give him dignity, and piles to give that the province’s health and social- him an anxious expression.’ ” Canada’s first female service systems discriminate against aboriginal psychiatrist the “sexual minorities” formed by les- England’s 800-year-old honoured bians, gay men and others. Project hospital will live on Affirmation, which was funded by Dr. Cornelia Wieman was 1 of 15 na- Health Canada, studied survey results St. Bartholomew’s, London’s 800- tive men and women honoured with from 1233 respondents who de- year-old hospital, is to stay open after a National Aboriginal Achievement scribed their experiences with the all. Following 6 years of campaign- Award this month. Wieman, who health and social-service systems. ing, the oldest hospital in the city and graduated from McMaster University The final report says the results point the home base for one of the world’s in 1993, has developed several psy- to “systemic failure.” most famous medical schools is not chiatric outreach programs, including “There are stories ranging from closing. Instead, it is to become a spe- a crisis intervention team at Ontario’s unbelievable ignorance, insensitivity cialist centre for oncology and cardi- Cape Croker First Nation and a geri- and hostility down to institutional ology; its accident and emergency de- atric program at Ontario’s Wik- stonewalling and incompetence. The partment, the focus of much of the wemikong First Nation. Wieman, 33, system has failed this population by campaigning, will remain closed. holds a bachelor of science in kinesi- failing to provide appropriate service.” The announcement was made ology and a master’s degree in biome- The report said discrimination Feb. 4 by Frank Dobson, Britain’s chanics from the University of Wa- takes 2 main forms. Systemic dis- secretary of state for health. He ac- terloo. She is currently completing a crimination is characterized by ser- cepted in full recommendations con- psychiatry fellowship at McMaster. vice-intake forms that assume hetero- tained in a London strategy review, Past medicine-related recipients of sexuality, training that routinely which he commissioned last June im- the awards include kidney transplant omits discussion of the needs of les- mediately after the new Labour gov- ernment was elected. Development of Bart’s sister hos- Anniversary of Nobel Prize for insulin marked by Mint pital, the Royal London — it used to be known simply as “the London” — Medicine by Drs. Frederick Bant- is being reduced from the proposed ing and John Macleod, the Mint is 1200 beds to 900. The trust responsi- releasing a $100 gold coin that fea- ble for the hospitals had argued in tures a design by Robert Ralph favour of closing Bart’s because of the Carmichael, who designed the loon savings that would be realized by op- that appears on Canada’s $1 coin. erating from a single site. News of The new coin features figures in- the reprieve earned a surprisingly spired by those appearing on the muted response, and news reports Shortly after announcing that it Nobel Prize itself. The mint’s first surrounding the announcement would release its first coin featuring medicine-inspired coin honours Dr. were, for the most part, hidden away a Canadian physician, the Royal Norman Bethune. That $5 silver on newspapers’ back pages. Canadian Mint has decided to hon- coin involves a joint project with a Four other hospitals, including our 2 more doctors. To mark the Chinese mint. Information is avail- University College (UCH) and the 75th anniversary of the receipt of able from the Mint, 800 267-1871 Middlesex, are being replaced by a the Nobel Prize for Physiology and (Canada) and 800 268-6468 (US). single 640-bed hospital. Sited next to CMAJ • MAR. 24, 1998; 158 (6) 709.