Joint statement: Canadian health leaders call for better health workforce planning to enhance patient care

OTTAWA, Feb. 20, 2014 /CNW/ - In light of the growing employment challenges facing Canadian doctors and the impact on patient care, the Steering Committee of the National Physician Employment Summit is calling for action to help highly-trained doctors work to their capacity to meet the needs of the public.

This week, more than 100 representatives from Canada's medical organizations, governments, medical educators, researchers, residents, medical students and physicians agreed that solutions must be developed to address the troubling number of unemployed and underemployed physicians countrywide.

The root causes of this are multi-faceted, including limitations to our existing planning models, data on population needs, and learning environments that reflect patient needs. Positively, multiple groups across Canada are conducting research and analysis on this issue.

Attendees strongly support the current work of the Physician Resource Planning Task Force (PRPTF), supported by the F/P/T Committee on Health Workforce, which brings key stakeholders from across medicine, academia, government, and learner organizations together to determine the right number, mix and distribution of physicians to meet societal needs. Participants advocated for sustainable funding to continue and expand this work.

To support this and help achieve a lasting solution, we're also committing to the following steps:

• The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada will coordinate and collect all relevant information regarding specialty-specific data on this issue to guide and help inform PRPTF's work.
• Commitment to meet again in the fall to exchange best practices and progress reports. This will include a draft action plan to streamline and coordinate efforts to address physician unemployment and underemployment across Canada.

This is a complex issue. We are strongly committed to working together, and with others, in the coming years to help achieve a sustainable pan-Canadian workforce plan. This will also provide better information and evidence to help prevent future 'boom-bust' employment cycles.

In an era of lengthy wait times and budget limitations, our health system needs to maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of all health professionals. This commitment is a vital first step towards ensuring that Canada always has the right number of physicians practicing in the right areas, supported by the necessary health care resources to meet patient needs.

The Steering Committee of National Physician Employment Summit is led by the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada, Canadian Medical Association, Canadian Nurses Association, Canadian Association of Internes and Residents, College of Family Physicians of Canada, Canadian Orthopaedic Residents Association, Canadian Urological Association, Fédération des médecins résidents du Québec, F/P/T Committee on Health Workforce, Federation of Medical Regulatory Authorities of Canada and the Royal College.

SOURCE: Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada

For further information:

Tom McMillan
Senior Communications Specialist, Communications and External Relations
Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada
[e-mail]
613-730-8177, ext 474 / 1-800-668-3740, ext 474