Mistrust in medicine is infecting our society – and it’s putting our children at risk

opinion

Measles is commonly mild, if uncomfortable – but it can also be deadly.

Kirsten Blaine is a consultant pediatrician based in Stratford, Ont.

As a doctor who has worked in both the office and at the hospital in a small community over the past few decades, I have looked after many families experiencing the illness of a child. This is often one of the most difficult times in their lives, and I consider it an honour to play a role in their child’s care. I love what I do. It is incredibly rewarding work, in spite of the pain and heartbreak that sometimes occur.

But over the past three decades, I have also borne witness to many changes – both positive and negative – in our health care system and our attitudes about it. The COVID-19 pandemic, with all of its societal and political con