Canada might have risen to the occasion in its response to COVID-19, but uncertainty exists because an inquiry has not been called by the federal government, according to an editorial from the British Medical Journal (BMJ). .“This is a mistake,” said the BMJ in a Monday editorial. .“There are lessons to learn from Canada’s COVID-19 response to ensure accountability for decisions and actions and to build confidence in the country’s health leadership, which faltered during the pandemic and created a strain on its already beleaguered public health and healthcare systems.”.An evaluation conducted by the Canadian Medical Association Journal said Canada had low COVID-19 cases and deaths, with higher vaccination coverage than most other G10 countries. This, despite its low hospital and critical care capacity and vast geographical area which makes care delivery challenging..BMJ said this overall impression of adequacy “masks important inequalities by region, setting, and demography.”.It said there are five reasons why an independent national inquiry is needed in Canada, with accountability for implementation of recommendations. .First, failing to look at the past will ensure an unchanged future. Lessons can be drawn to inform new health spending and preparedness and much learning comes from decisions and actions which failed or faltered. .BMJ said lacking an independent inquiry allows others to step into the frame..It accused the National Citizens Inquiry (NCI) of being “fuelled by vaccine safety misinformation and ideological concerns with government public health measures and is far from the full, national and public inquiry led by independent experts that Canada’s pandemic performance deserves.”.An inquiry would help deliver on Canada’s ambition to be a global leader. Any review and examination of Canada’s pandemic response cannot be domestic alone because domestic and global health security and equity are linked. .To have a successful inquiry, BMJ said it must provide an actionable framework for reforming Canada’s healthcare and public health systems..For healthcare workers, the post-pandemic feeling is exacerbation and rage about the inertia of governments, health authorities, and professional medical associations and their failure to tackle the depth of dysfunction in its landscape. .BMJ added the most important reason is accountability for losses, as 53,000 COVID-19 deaths and close to five million cases have devastated families and left a legacy of long COVID..One million lives could have been saved in 2021 had rich countries such as Canada shared more COVID-19 vaccines. .BMJ commissioned this series — modelled on the United Kingdom’s COVID-19 inquiry series — to bring multidisciplinary, diverse perspectives to bear on Canada’s response..The authors are experts across clinical and research areas including humanitarianism, indigenous people’s health and rights, law, medicine, nursing, patient advocacy, policy, and public health and represent 13 institutions from across Canada..“We hope their work informs and advances an independent, comprehensive, and probing review of Canada’s COVID-19 response to ensure transparency and accountability from governments and health authorities and to commit leaders to actions that support and sustain preparedness for current and future health needs,” it said. .The NCI began calling for people across Canada to testify as witnesses in nine upcoming hearings in December. .READ MORE: National Citizen's Inquiry Into Canada's COVID-19 response opens call for witnesses.“With polls showing that three out of every four Canadians felt harmed by the pandemic response, politicians and bureaucrats reviewing their own notes is not enough,” said the NCI. .“Canadians want their voices to be heard.”
