Health
Canadian medical college suggests doctors prioritize ‘social justice’ over ‘expertise’
From LifeSiteNews
The proposal by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada ‘would seek to center values such as anti-oppression, anti-racism, and social justice rather than medical expertise.’
Canada’s federal medical regulatory body is being roundly condemned for suggesting that medical experts should “center” their care around woke politics rather than medical knowledge.
According to an internal report published November 23 by Dr. David Jacobs, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada has proposed a new model of practice which encourages doctors to focus on “social justice” rather than providing medical expertise to their patients.
“In this internal document from the @Royal_College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, there is a proposal from the EDI group to prioritize social justice over medical expertise,” Jacobs wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “This is bonkers.”
Warning ⚠️ EDI can be bad for your health!
In this internal document from the @Royal_College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, there is a proposal from the EDI group to prioritize social justice over medical expertise.
This is bonkers.#Cdnpoli @fordnation #Onhealth pic.twitter.com/9e98ZynbJo
— David Jacobs (@DrJacobsRad) November 24, 2023
The Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Interim Report, written by Dr. Ritika Goel, reads, “A new model of CanMEDS would seek to center values such as anti-oppression, anti-racism, and social justice rather than medical expertise.”
The proposal suggests that medical professionals be instructed on “equity and advocacy” to enable them to “more effectively engage in community-led social change.”
“Such a model of CanMEDS would allow medical schools to appropriately embed and infuse lenses of social justice, anti-oppression, advocacy and equity throughout their teaching, and thereby teach future physicians how to incorporate such thinking into all of their clinical, teaching and research work,” it added.
The report is part of new requirements entitled CanMEDS 2025. CanMEDS is a framework which outlines how physicians can provide patients with the care that they need. The original expectations were put in place in 1996 with the most recent update taking place in 2015.
According to the college’s website, the new goals under CanMEDS 2025 will “support the goals of anti-racism and anti-oppression” and “support the goal of equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility.”
Jacobs is hardly alone in his condemnation of the proposal. Harvard professor Jeffrey Flier wrote on X, “For a medical society, or a medical school, to prioritize ‘social justice’ over medical expertise is to declare themselves unfit for their professional roles.”
For a medical society, or a medical school, to prioritize "social justice" over medical expertise is to declare themselves unfit for their professional roles. https://t.co/H6e5UA6lZ8
— Jeffrey Flier (@jflier) November 24, 2023
Similarly, Mark F. Proudman, who holds a doctorate in imperial history from Oxford, sarcastically posted, “A new model of medical care ‘would seek to centre … social justice, rather than medical expertise.’ I thought it was conservatives and populists who were hostile to expertise?”
However, the proposal should not come as a surprise to Canadians as medical colleges have become increasingly politicized, focusing on pushing woke ideologies rather than patient care.
For example, British Columbia nurse Amy Hamm is testifying to keep her nursing license after she was accused of “transphobia” for defending women’s rights and spaces. After months of hearings, Hamm was given a chance to defend herself earlier this month from accusations by the B.C. College of Nurses and Midwives (BCCNM) that she is unfit to work as a nurse because she believes that sex is based on biology.
Similarly, Ontario pro-freedom Dr. Mark Trozzi is at risk of losing his license for taking a stance critical of the mainstream narrative around the COVID-19 so-called “pandemic” and the associated vaccines.
Furthermore, British Columbia is still banning unvaccinated healthcare workers from working in provincial facilities, despite an ongoing healthcare worker shortage, leading many to suggest that politics is being placed over patient welfare.
From the Fraser Institute
Tragic stories of multiyear waits for patients are now a Canadian news staple. Is it any wonder, therefore, that a new Navigator poll found almost two-thirds of Canadians experienced (either themselves or a family member) unreasonably long for access to health care. The poll also found that 73 per cent of respondents agree the system needs major reform.
This situation shouldn’t surprise anyone. Last year Canadians could expect a 27.7-week delay for non-emergency treatment. Nearly half this time (13.1 weeks) was spent waiting for treatment after seeing a specialist—that’s more than one month longer than what physicians considered reasonable.
And it’s not as though these unreasonable waits are simple inconveniences for patients; they can have serious consequences including continued pain, psychological distress and disability. For many, there are also economic consequences for waiting due to lost productivity or wages (due to difficulty or inability to work) or for Canadians who pay for care in another country.
Canadians are also experiencing longer delays than their European and Australian universal health-care peers. In 2020, Canadians were the least likely (62 per cent) to report receiving non-emergency surgical treatment in under four weeks compared to Germans (99 per cent) and Australians (72 per cent).
What do they do differently? Put simply, they approach universal care in a different way than we do.
In particular, these countries all have a sizeable and well-integrated private sector that helps deliver universal care including surgical care. For example, in 2021, 45 per cent of hospitals in Germany (a plurality) were private for-profit. And 99 per cent of German hospital beds are accessible to those covered under the country’s mandatory insurance scheme. In Australia, governments regularly contract with private hospitals to provide surgical care, with private facilities handling 41 per cent of all hospital services in 2021/22.
These universal health-care countries also tend to fund their hospitals differently.
Governments in Canada primarily fund hospitals through “global budgets.” With a fixed budget set at the beginning of the year, this funding method is unconnected to the level of services provided. Consequently, patients are treated as costs to be minimized.
In contrast, hospitals in most European countries and Australia are funded on the basis of their activity. As a result, because they are paid for services they actually deliver, hospitals are incentivized to provide higher volumes of care.
The data are clear. Canadian patients are frustrated with their health-care system and have an appetite for change. We stand to learn from other countries who maintain their universal coverage while delivering health care faster than in Canada.
Author:
Competitive compensation for resident physicians
A new compensation agreement for resident physicians has been reached, which will help to retain and recruit more physicians throughout Alberta.
Alberta’s government, in partnership with Alberta Health Services (AHS), the University of Alberta, University of Calgary and the Professional Association of Resident Physicians of Alberta has reached a four-year agreement that provides competitive and fair-market compensation for physicians in training.
The negotiated agreement provides wage increases of three per cent in each of the first two years, and two per cent in each of the last two years. It also includes market adjustments that put Alberta on par with other western Canadian medical schools.
Ensuring resident physicians receive competitive, fair-market compensation while they train and provide services across the province will help stabilize and strengthen acute health care today while bringing medical students and ultimately more physicians to the province to support the province’s future health needs.
“Alberta’s government is grateful for all the hard work resident physicians put in as they complete their training. We are pleased to see that a new agreement has been reached and look forward to more physicians calling Alberta home.”
“We are extremely grateful to all of our resident physicians, who play a vital role in caring for Albertans and supporting our front-line physicians and health care teams. This agreement will help us recruit medical students and encourage them to practise in this province.”
Rural and Remote Family Medicine Resident Physician Bursary Pilot Program
The agreement builds on actions Alberta’s government is taking to make the province a more attractive place for medical students and resident physicians to study and practise. On Oct. 3, Alberta’s government announced measures to improve health care in rural and remote communities through the new Rural and Remote Family Medicine Resident Physician Bursary Pilot Program. The bursary program is part of the province’s Rural Health Action Plan.
The pilot program will provide up to $8 million annually for the next two years to medical students in their final year of an undergraduate medical program when they are matched with a family medicine residency program at the University of Alberta or University of Calgary, or to residents currently completing a family medicine residency at either university regardless of their year of study. In return, bursary recipients will commit to delivering comprehensive patient care in eligible communities for three years after completing their residency.
“With this agreement, Alberta strengthens its position as an attractive destination for resident physicians across Canada. By enhancing compensation, training and working conditions, we ensure Alberta recruits and retains the brightest medical talent to serve our communities and shape the future of health care.”
“The University of Alberta is pleased collaborations with our partners have resulted in an agreement that reflects the critical impact resident physicians make in our health care system so all Albertans receive the care they need.”
“Remuneration, respect, retention and recruitment of rural generalists are key to elevating rural hospitals to becoming rural centres of excellence. With this agreement and bursary pilot program, the Alberta government is recognizing rural health as being different, requiring separate and unique solutions for our communities that are mutually beneficial in enhancing the health of rural Albertans.”
Quick facts
- Resident physicians have graduated medical school but are completing post-graduate training in a residency program to obtain their licence to practise. With residency programs requiring an additional two to seven years of post-graduate training, most resident physicians spend more than 10 years training to become fully licensed physicians and surgeons.
- The Professional Association of Resident Physicians of Alberta represents more than 1,660 resident physicians in Alberta.
- The current agreement between AHS, the University of Alberta, University of Calgary and the association ended on June 30, 2024.
- The resident physician agreement is funded by Alberta Health through a grant to AHS and the universities.
Related information
Related news
- Improving health care in rural and remote Alberta (Oct. 3, 2024)
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