Thread by @DrRitaMc

1/ Why I am worried about these emergency funds and why I think they probably won't help improve primary care access, a thread #bcpoli #PrimaryCare

https://twitter.com/DoctorsOfBC/status/1562557948961837056

2/ 💯Primary care is in a terrible state in BC (has been worsening for 20 years), and this money might "stem the bleeding" but it won't remedy the sharp objects causing the bleeding🩸🩸🩸

3/ Imagine public education in the same state, a million kids don't have a school to go to and teachers quitting everywhere because they are burnt out, and the cost of running their own school is unsustainable

4/ So to fix it, we give each teacher ~30,000$ and say, keep your school doors open at least until January 2023.

5/ But we don't say, we need you to keep teaching the full curriculum, on all the school days of the week, nor to all the kids currently in your class 🤔

6/ The money might stop some people from quitting, but it won't address the fact that the burnt-out teachers are having to negotiate leases, do HR/IT- things they did not go to Teacher's College for... nor will it help those million kids who (still) don't have a teacher.

7/ Teachers are not doctors and schools are not clinics, but these are both essential public services that Canadians rely on and pay for with their taxes - and most doctors (not all) would prefer to focus on patient care, not running their business.

8/ This reliance on funding primary care "infrastructure" via DOCTORS FEES is a holdover from the start of Medicare (1962!!) when doctors organized to PREVENT being paid by salary and be integrated into the rest of the system (i.e.system infrastructure!) cmaj.ca/content/188/9/…

9/ A typical argument is that professional "autonomy" will be jeopardized if you are paid a salary. However, we see lots of other highly skilled professionals (e.g. judges, pilots, ... teachers) working for a salary, in a system, & still able to make good professional decisions🤔

10/ I is NOT 1962 anymore!!
Family medicine (and education)
have MASSIVELY EVOLVED...
We don't design a school system around one-room school houses, why are we ok with one-doctor primary care services?

11/ If we really want those million people to be able to find a family doctor/primary care clinic for ongoing high-quality primary care... we need to stop the bandaid solutions (bonus payments) and buckle up for real infrastructure investment.

12/ Imagine a future where when you moved to a new community, you could just sign up at your local "clinic" and if your doctor retired, there was a new doctor hired easily continue your care. #PrimaryCare #infrastructure

13/ SYSTEM INFRASTRUCTURE is the kind of investment we need to improve access

+ make the change in PATIENT ACCESS
the outcome we use to measure 📏
big healthcare announcements

14/
Consider asking your MLA
how the effect of today's announcement
will be measured
and if you don't hear that we will track and count
HOW MANY PEOPLE
HAVE A FAMILY DOCTOR
...tell them that is important to you.

15/ To my doctor colleagues breathing a sigh of financial relief with this money, I am glad it is helping. But let's not get stuck in thinking that just paying us more is going to let us attach more people. ❤️‍🩹🩺

16/ Doctors, let's demand solutions that reduce admin work, add team members to support comprehensive patient needs, and fund NEW ways of working that increases the number of patients that have access to longitudinal care. ❤️‍🩹🩺

17/ Fellow FP's lets make sure that when we get asked for input on solutions we make sure that ALL the voices needed to solve this problem are at the table: patients, community leaders, researchers, nurses, PT,OT, SW, pharmacy, (etc). ❤️‍🩹🩺 /Fin

Was glad to speak to @BhinderSajan on @CTVNews about this news, and my take about the limits to the funding.

bc.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=2…

Thx @katiederosayyj @VancouverSun for asking my opinion about how the emergency funds announced today fit into addressing the #FamilyDoctorShortage

vancouversun.com/news/local-new…