Tag: healthcare

Challenging Common Myths in Business and Economics

March 26, 2026

Do you sometimes hear a statement that seems false to you? You think that this cannot be right. Sometimes such statements could be exaggerations; it is the way some people talk. But other times, a statement may be paritally or totally false because you know the subject matter. How do you react in such situations? You may not be able to argue with a statement on live TV or in a large lecture hall. In a small group, though, you might voice your contrary opinion or choose to ignore the statement. At times, it may feel futile or unnecessary to engage, but in other cases, especially when the subject matters to you and you can respond, speaking up might be appropriate.

I recently listened to a university business professor talk about global economic trends. He introduced himself as nonpolitical and explained that the many charts he will present come from reputable sources. In other words, his presentation will be unbiased. He also mentioned that he’ll puncture some “shibboleths” or “urban myths”. So, I looked forward to his lecture.

The professor spoke enthusiastically, and I enjoyed his comments. What stood out most were the remarks that challenged my views—not because I didn’t understand, but because I disagreed. Here are three ideas from his lecture I take issue with.

He began by sharing that he always asks his students what motivates businesspeople and, according to him, the answer is invariably profit: business exists to make money. However, he always counters the students’ view by explaining to them that when he shops for vegetables, he expects the store to sell vegetables; therefore, the store, a business, exists to offer those goods. The owner may have been a gardener initially and decided to sell produce. This made sense, but I also knew that selling continues only if the store makes money. In other words, the owner would not sell vegetables at a loss, would he or she? (In some situations, the business would sell at a loss as when going out of business). The professor had not broken any shibboleths for me with his example; the purpose of the vegetable store is to sell merchandise, but at a profit.

And then a second item came up with which I had trouble agreeing with. The professor said he might be unpopular by suggesting doing away with programs with universal application. For example, he questioned the need for universally free kindergarten, asking why people who can afford it should benefit. He advocated means-testing, in other words. This argument seemed reasonable until I considered Canada’s own universal programs. We provide public schools free for all, and Canadians are proud of their universal healthcare (although not all healthcare services are free). The trend in Western countries is to expand free, universal services, not reduce them. Whether such policies continue depends on political will and affordability, and the direction seems toward greater universality.

A final example that stirred my mind was the professor’s advice about Canada’s resource sector. He argued Canada should sell more natural resources to create jobs and generate revenue, contrary to the traditional view that resources should be developed domestically for added value.

Reflecting on this lecture, I did not think that the professor changed my mind on the three items above. But I must say that his perspectives added to my understanding of the issues. Maybe I have become coopted to the current wisdom on the subjects discussed and have become rigid in my opinions. So it was useful to hear a fresh argument on these three subjects; that business starts with an idea before money is considered, such as selling books on line, the origin of Amazon, that we should not take for granted that universal programs are always the preferred alternative and that Canada could still improve its economy by selling resources to a diversified global market. Unfortunately, I did not have the opportunity to question the professor on these subjects due to his eighty plus slides that he showed, leaving no time for questions.

Is There a Role for AI in Healthcare? Exploring Its Potential

February 25, 2026

A talk I listened to on how AI works with healthcare left me puzzled. A PhD working at the hospital explained LLMs (Large Language Models), such as Co-Pilot, ChatGPT, and Gemini, and compared them to search engines like Google and Bing. I thought I understood the difference: while search engines provide sources for queries, such as links or URLs, LLMs combine multiple sources into text and provide a human-like form of written communication.

According to the speaker, search engines maintain up-to-date information by constantly crawling the web, while LLMs remain current only up to the time they were trained, that is, the information they were given. This is so because not all LLMs are tied to the internet, so they do not have up-to-date information. So, I took it that search engines are good for research, while LLMs offer text and context to a query.

Both tools share the same starting point: the prompt. A question or prompt to a search engine would bring up links and URLs, while an LLM would generate a complete essay on the subject.

I was aware of much of this information; I have used search engines for years, and in the last year, I tried my hand at using some LLMs, for example, Co-Pilot, which is built into the MS Office suite. But how does all this technology relate to healthcare? That was the title of the presentation. So, I asked for an example at the end of the lecture. I said I see a cardiologist sitting at a computer, an MRI image on the screen, and a patient on the side. What does he do to use AI? Does he use a prompt about the MRI taken of the patient sitting next to him? Instead of a direct answer, the speaker explained that the infrastructure for using AI is not yet complete; for example, the hospital must have its own storage for the data, it cannot use storage elsewhere due to privacy concerns.

Also, I did not find answers to how doctors are trained to use AI or what percentage of them are currently using it. Anecdotally, I remember that when I last visited my ophthalmologist, he was concerned and dubious about computerizing his patients’ information. I wonder how long it may take for the medical profession to embrace and use computer technology, especially AI.

Coming back to a live example of how the medical profession may use AI, would he/she ask AI to examine the MRI and identify any medical problem shown on the image? The speaker emphasized that AI is only a tool to use and ultimately, the doctor decides on treatment, potentially using information gleaned with AI tools. After the lecture, I told the speaker that a few examples of medical professionals using AI would have been useful.

To test what I learned, I came home and used a prompt: “Write 300 words on the Vatican Museum”, and asked Google and Co-Pilot, to respond. To my surprise, both apps wrote a nice essay. It appears that the boundaries between search engines and LLMs are blurring, especially as technology advances and these tools integrate.

However, while both can provide information, their use in the specialized, privacy-sensitive field of healthcare remains challenging. There is potential, but also barriers in infrastructure, training, and trust.

PS. In today’s Washington Post, February 24, there is an article by a doctor about how to use AI in medical practice. “AI didn’t replace me as a doctor. It made me better.” By Ashish K. Jha

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2026/02/24/health-care-ai-doctors-chatbots/

Immigrant Experiences: Inspiring Stories Amidst Challenges in Canada

Septermber 21, 2025

Many Canadians believe that the significant influx of immigrants in recent years has contributed to a shortage of housing units and overwhelmed healthcare services in the country. Since 2021, four million people have arrived in Canada, mostly temporary workers, students, but also refugees, economic migrants, and family members of Canadians.

I understand why many Canadians’ views on immigration have turned negative. However, I enjoy interacting with recent immigrants and discussing their reasons, as well as their plans, for coming to Canada. Let me provide some examples.

When I dropped my car off at the garage, a Lyft driver came to take me home. In a cheerful voice, he asked about my day and engaged me in a friendly conversation, inquiring about what I did. Listening to his accent, I asked him where he was from. He told me he came from Somalia eight years ago and now has a family with young children. His ambition is to establish a business here. He is the kind of person we need in Canada; in fact, all countries would benefit from having young and ambitious individuals like him.

When my car was ready, the garage sent another Lyft driver to pick up my car. Not surprisingly, he was also an immigrant, this time from Rwanda. He came to Canada a year ago and proudly drove a brand-new vehicle, which he mentioned he had bought for cash. He was able to do that by working seven days a week, an astounding achievement in my opinion.

I learned from the driver, Olivier, that he preferred Lyft over Uber, where he had previously worked. Although he had a French name, he did not speak French. He explained that Rwanda was a Belgian colony before gaining independence, which is why many people in the country have French names. After completing his university studies, he went to Belgium to pursue a master’s degree. He ended up staying in Europe for five years, living in England and later obtaining a second master’s degree in Poland. I was surprised to hear this and asked him if he spoke Polish. He clarified that the university program he attended was conducted in English.

From our conversation, Olivier appeared to be a loner, with only a high school friend in Ottawa. He confided in me that he is 33 years old, hopes to start a family, but working seven days a week leaves him little time for socializing and meeting potential partners. In addition to his driving job, he also works part-time at night for a Belgian company, another ambitious immigrant who would be welcomed in most countries.

I should also mention the young man from India who came to fertilize my lawn. He was busy working his Weedman route in the neighborhood but took a few minutes to chat with me when I asked how he liked his job. Although fertilizing keeps him occupied during the summer, he mentioned that he needs employment during the winter months. He plans to enter sales with the company, but he finds the challenge of sales to be significant, as he needs to make at least ten sales or identify leads each day. That’s not an easy task these days, especially when people tend to prefer a do-it-yourself approach.

Engaging in conversations with recent immigrants is both inspiring and motivating, and it has led me to reflect on the richness of the immigrant experience —a perspective I hold dear, having been an immigrant myself.

The sense of satisfaction that comes from adapting successfully to a new country is immense. During the phase of acculturation, individuals face challenges that feel overwhelming. I arrived in Canada with no language skills, no material possessions, and a total lack of knowledge of Canadian culture. To adapt to my new country, I grabbed any available jobs to improve my language skills, earn some money, and learn local customs.

In my first job, I carried furs at an auction for furriers, where they bid on various furs. A memorable moment arrived when the furriers tipped me, and I responded by telling them I only did my job and didn’t accept tips. This response earned me some strange looks. It didn’t take long for me to realize that tipping for good service is standard practice in North America, while it was nonexistent in communist countries like Hungary.

Other jobs followed. I washed dishes at a hospital and later traveled with a survey crew, doing machete work and drafting. On my last day with the survey crew, I overheard my team’s plan to pull down my pants and stick me in an anthill. Fortunately, I managed to escape before they could grab me; my language skills had improved to the extent that I could understand whispering.

To further improve my language skills, I accepted a job with a California company selling Collier’s encyclopedia. It involved knocking on doors and presenting the value of having the encyclopedia in the small towns around Vancouver, BC. I did not last long. I appreciated meeting those who welcomed me, but many older attendees, perhaps lonely, saw my presentation as an opportunity to socialize without planning to make a purchase.  

My early job experiences have significantly contributed to the development of my language skills and self-confidence over time, leading me to pursue a university education.

In summary, the sudden increase in immigration overwhelmed healthcare services and contributed to a housing shortage. And it made immigrants less welcome. But talking with recent immigrants is usually uplifting and inspiring. Before forming an opinion on the pros and cons of immigration, I strongly encourage you to engage in conversations with them.

Notes on Canadian Healthcare

August 23, 2025

While sitting on the porch facing the lake with my laptop open on the table, healthcare unexpectedly came to mind. It was a perfect summer morning, and with a coffee in hand, I thought about how true it is for a healthy life to live with and enjoy nature.

 Canadian healthcare has a good reputation, particularly outside the country. Although it is a universal system, accessibility remains an issue, especially for those without a family doctor. Twenty percent of Ontario families have no family doctor. These individuals end up seeking medical assistance in emergency departments, where there is a shortage of emergency physicians and nursing staff. Because of that, many emergency departments have been forced to close for a day or even a week.

A tragic example highlights this issue: a sixteen-year-old boy arrived at an emergency unit and was triaged as a “second” priority patient. This designation means that a doctor should ideally see him within fifteen minutes. The boy received attention only several hours later. He ultimately passed away due to the delay.

Not in the same horrid category as the above example, I had experience with our healthcare system recently that raised some questions in my mind. I twisted my leg, which made walking quite painful. After a few days with no improvements, I visited my family doctor, who provided requisitions for an X-ray and an ultrasound to determine what was wrong with my knee. However, I expressed my concerns about the long wait times for an ultrasound— the imaging center near us has openings in six months. She heard from other patients about the long wait times and suggested an imaging place on the east end of Ottawa, where one of her patients had the treatment in a month. I wondered if I really had to wait that long to find out what was wrong with my leg before any treatment could begin.

In the meantime, the doctor gave me Voltaren to help alleviate the pain, but it didn’t work for me. As a result, I scheduled an appointment with a physiotherapist, who used needling and massage techniques on the painful area and prescribed some exercises. I noticed significant improvement within just a few days.

I went to the doctor with the expectation that she would diagnose the issue and recommend a treatment plan. Instead, she provided me with requisitions for further investigations. Since the pain has been subsiding with exercise the physiotherapist suggested, I have not followed up with the requisitions. The doctor did not mention physiotherapy as a treatment.

While speaking with my family doctor, I requested a prescription for an EpiPen. I had one previously, but it had expired. She informed me that my records did not indicate a need for an EpiPen, so she was unable to prescribe one. I do not know what policies exist for prescribing EpiPen. I reminded her that I had used an EpiPen for ten years. However, she reviewed my records with this medical group that goes back six years, and there was no documentation of my previous EpiPen use. (We joined this medical group when our previous family doctor retired, and the practitioner we initially started with did not request my medical records although I offered to get it). I also mentioned to her that I had a wasp sting incident after stepping on a wasp nest. Following that, an allergist gave me shots for a few years to build my resistance to wasp stings and prescribed an EpiPan for ten years.

Following my explanation, the doctor gave me a prescription for an EpiPen. Still, this experience made me realize that a lifetime healthcare data system would be highly beneficial. Everyone should have their complete health history in one place.

I have access to my health history that is on multiple data systems. Two of the three hospitals that I visited in Ottawa use a system called “MyChart” that includes all my testing and hospitalization data. The third hospital in Ottawa uses another system called “ConnectedCare” and has my history with this hospital. Then I use a lab for blood work and other tests, and I subscribe to their data system to access their results. And, of course, my family doctor receives data from all of these systems. What is missing is the history from my retired family doctor, when most of the data was handwritten.

But beyond medical results, we use other health-related experts. We visit dentists, optometrists, physiotherapists, personal trainers, and other health care professionals. Wouldn’t it be beneficial to have all of this information together in one system?

The Surge of Asylum Seekers: Impact on Canadian Society

November 19, 2024

Dueling demonstrations took place yesterday. At the old Nepean City Hall, a small crowd celebrated the proposed construction of a “temporary” welcome center for asylum seekers. Another group protested against the welcome center at its proposed location, the Nepean Sportsplex. Of the one thousand asylum seekers in Ottawa, six hundred find shelter in community centers, like hockey arenas, while others find refuge with volunteer social organizations.

With expectations of a further surge in asylum seekers, the city hired consultants to evaluate the suitability of over a hundred sites for constructing the welcome center. One site in Barrhaven met vociferous opposition, although nobody owned up to NIMBY. The Sportsplex site is a mile from the nearest shopping center and has an infrequent bus service.


I took some time to gain a deeper understanding of the proposal; I discovered that the city plans to erect “Sprung” buildings, a design from the Sprung family company. The company erected over a thousand such buildings globally. I checked out one built on the Embarcadero in San Francisco and found it is an unappealing tent-like building. But it requires simple construction and is economical and fast to erect.

According to city officials, asylum seekers are mostly young single people. The current arrangement is for these people to stay for three months in these welcome centers, receiving help from officials in finding jobs and housing in addition to filling out papers to become residents of Canada.

How did we reach this point with the number of asylum seekers surging during the past couple of years? And would there be more in the future, given President-elect Trump’s intention to deport millions of illegals just south of our border?

Politicians often create and resolve crises to boost their public image. Prime Minister Trudeau has created an immigration crisis in Canada by increasing the inflow of immigration substantially subsequent to the pandemic and is now trying to solve it by reducing the number of arrivals. Naturally, he denies creating a crisis and blames private interests for misusing immigration policies. 

The surge in immigration has triggered a housing shortage, a healthcare problem, and a challenge to the education system. The capacity for housing construction in Canada is no more than 250,000 units per year. Over the past couple of years alone, the rate of a million people a year arriving in Canada would require the entire annual production of housing units, assuming four people per unit. Hospital emergency rooms boast a waiting time of over ten hours; people without family doctors visit emergency rooms for consultations. Teachers have struggled with teaching children who speak dozens of different languages at home and bringing with them their cultures.

Statistics indicate there are eight million “permanent residents’ in Canada, waiting to become citizens (it takes three years of residency to qualify for citizenship). Furthermore, there are three million “temporary residents,” which include foreign students, seasonal workers, and immigrants. Asylum seekers are immigrants, numbering 250,000 across Canada today.

Interestingly, eleven million of the forty-one million Canadians—temporary and permanent residents combined—cannot vote; one must be a citizen to vote. It is also noteworthy that although the federal government created the asylum seekers crisis, local levels of government shoulder the burden of welcoming and assisting newcomers to fit into Canadian society.

A ninety-day stay in a shelter for a young newcomer to Canada can be a cheerful affair, especially during the cold Canadian winters. I assume that clothing and food are also provided. But what is most important for a newcomer to Canada? I suggest speaking English is vital unless the newcomer already knows the language. I speak from my lived experience. As a genuine refugee arriving in Canada, learning English was crucial for navigating life, securing employment, and resuming my education.

Now, language training takes more than ninety days. I’m wondering, what experience do government officials have dealing with the current wave of asylum seekers? Are they turfing out people in ninety days from their shelters now? Or do the newcomers stay longer, and how much longer? This thought takes me back to the original concept of city officials claiming that the proposed welcome center would be temporary.

The stated temporariness of the “Sprung” structures energized many people who doubted the buildings would ever be demolished. When not required any further for asylum seekers, the public imagined these buildings would be repurposed to house the homeless. Couple with the challenge of sheltering asylum seekers, Ottawa is facing a significant rise in its homeless population. It has become quite unpleasant to walk in central parts of the city at night, with homeless people sleeping in doorways and on the streets.

The government’s recent announcement lowering immigration targets will reduce the number of asylum seekers, freeing up welcome centers to house the homeless. The most significant impact of this issue for me was that I noticed a shifting public attitude towards immigrants in the news media, questioning immigration’s worth to Canada. I blame the federal government for this snafu for acting without a proper impact study of what a significant increase in immigration to Canada would entail.