As premiers meet for discussions, NLMA president says more action is needed to shore up health care

While Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey hopes to ignite discussion about the province's fight for equalization at a three-day premiers' meeting this week, the Canadian Medical Association is urging action to fix the health care system.  

Dr. Steve Major, president of N.L.'s medical association, says the CMA wants to see more national funding for health care.

"This is something that governments need to take action upon," Major told CBC News this week. "They need to actually look at what we're doing now and figure out ways that we can improve."

He hopes the premiers' meeting will result in improvements to the current system and a plan for the future. 

"If we don't reverse this change, where medicine has been undervalued and underrewarded, we're going to continue to have an erosion in the provision of [health] services to patients," said Major. 

Family physician shortage

Major says the biggest health-care problem in Newfoundland and Labrador is its shortage of family physicians. 

"We know from research that if you have good family physicians taking care of patients, that they have better outcomes," said Major. 

More than six million Canadians don't have a family doctor. In N.L., Major said, the number is 175,000. 

Considering the province's aging population, Major says the government needs to come up with a human health resource plan. 

"I don't really feel the government's probably put in enough time and effort trying to sort out how do we make sure we can provide care to this big population as they age," said Major. 

Last year, the federal government and the province agreed on a plan to invest nearly $2 billion over 10 years to improve health care in the province, with expanding family health services listed as a priority. 

But Major says no plan has materialized to boost the number of family physicians in the province.

"I feel that it's a disservice that we haven't prioritized family medicine to make sure that all families, all patients, and residents of this province can actually access a family physician," said Major.

Major blames the four-year election cycle and the tendency of governments to make short-term decisions. 

"The problem is I think health-care decisions tend to have to need a bigger vision."

National licensing program 

Major says the CMA has also been advocating for a national licensing process, which he says would help bring in more doctors.

Under the program, doctors would be able to apply for one national licence and be able to work in any province. 

"We'd be able to have portability for physicians and where there are needs," said Major. "People could have a licence that they could go and work in different areas and provinces." 

It would also help set a national standard of care for training international physicians, he said. 

"We've in this province benefited from international graduates rurally for many years," said Major. 

Innovative approaches needed, says NLMA

Major hopes the government considers more innovative approaches to addressing the health-care crisis. 

"All those patients who don't have a family physician and don't have access, are suffering," he said. "Whether they get late diagnosis with cancer, they get mental health crises, all sorts of health issues that cost the system, cost those patients personally and emotionally. That is unnecessary if we've come up with a better solution."

Download our free CBC News app to sign up for push alerts for CBC Newfoundland and Labrador. Click here to visit our landing page.