CMA Calls on Governments to Fix Ailing Health System: Edmonton Journal

The Canadian Medical Association says governments need to stop playing “whack-a-mole” with problems in the health-care system and embark on a wholesale transformation to address the ongoing, national crisis.

Association president Dr. Jeff Turnbull on Tuesday called on federal election candidates to share their visions for the future of health care, while Canadians contribute their ideas at CMA-sponsored town halls across the country, including one in Edmonton Tuesday night.

The goal, Turnbull told The Journal’s editorial board Tuesday, is to encourage a national dialogue on the transformation of the health-care system. “I’ve been in this business for 20-some years and I’ve never seen health care at this state in my life,” he said. “I really worry about our health care delivery system, I worry about the patients that are under my care. We’ve been tinkering around the edges.”

Turnbull said the federal and provincial governments must all come to the table and that every option should be considered, including private delivery of publicly funded services. “We move from one crisis du jour to another, we’re on our heels all the time, it’s reactionary,” Turnbull said. “The sense of apathy, of fatigue, comes from too much discussion and not enough meaningful action.

I think what we’re missing here is a steady, long-term vision for what health care should be, and a concerted, strategic plan.” “It requires courage, it requires leadership and we have to galvanize our community around ... getting that political action and the will to make it happen.”

The CMA, which represents 74,000 doctors, wants the federal government to “modernize” the Canada Health Act. “We would like to see it expanded in terms of scope. Remember, it’s restricted to hospitals and doctors.

We think that pharmacare, long-term care, home-based care are all important components, as well as health promotion.” Governments should also consider a complimentary care system that provides assistance for chronically ill, frail and elderly Canadians, including “new models of care” that support people aging in their own homes, he said. Further, the systems could be more efficient if doctors were rewarded for cost-saving outcomes.

Alberta Medical Association president Patrick White said the provincial government’s reactionary response to the most recent crisis is typical. “We’ve been going from crisis to crisis in this province for the past ten, 15 years,” he said. “The emergency room crisis is a good example ... what do we get? We get a knee-jerk response.” “Unfortunately, the thinking around health care is just reactionary in this province. That’s all it is. It’s short-term vision. It’s navel gazing.”

Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach said he is willing to work with the CMA if it is willing to stand behind the government when changes are made. “Hats off to the Canadian Medical Association for giving ideas,” he said. “But have them stand in front. Because sometimes, when you try to open up or have any kind of discussion in Canada about health care, it’s like committing treason. ... If they come here, side-by-side, we’ll tackle it.”

“But one thing is for sure, we have to do something. And I’d like to do it in partnership with the provinces and the federal government. The federal government has to be at the table.”

This article was originally published here.

Photograph by Brett Gundlock, National Post.