Saint John pediatrician says doctors need to help cure poverty too

A pediatrician in Saint John wants the city to become a national model for the battle against poverty.

Dr. Sarah Gander is adding her voice to the call for doctors and the government to start working together to tackle problems right at the patient level.

It comes from her eight years practicing in the city, seeing first-hand how deeply poverty was affecting her patients.

"When you go into the home and you realize they have dirt floors, no food, and the mother has such extreme anxiety they haven't left the home in three years," she describes, "you begin to understand the impact it could have even on something that you might think would be more medical, like developmental delay."

We know there's a problem, in fact it's a crisis.- Dr. Sarah Gander, pediatrician

Family physician Mike Simon sees such poverty cases in his practice too, and how it means there's not much he can do to treat long-term health issues.

"It's very hard to treat a patient if I say his cholesterol is two points above normal, and he can't afford the drug," Dr. Simon explains. "Or he's eating fast food all the time because he can't afford buying good food."

Dr. Gander says a place to start is having New Brunswick's physicians asking patients if they are having trouble making ends meet.

If they say yes, then the doctor can connect the patients to government programs that will help.

The approach has been taught to thousands of healthcare providers across Canada and versions are being developed in Nova Scotia, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

She's hoping it's something her colleagues and government in New Brunswick will embrace.

"We know there's a problem, in fact it's a crisis," said Dr. Gander. "We should, I feel, be ashamed of the state that its in and so it's time for action."