It’s clear to any Canadian who has interacted with the health care system since April 2021 that it is in crisis.
After nearly 2 years of the Covid-19 pandemic it’s time to ask: where is the long-term strategic plan that moves us beyond this pandemic?
Specifically, what measures are being taken to relieve the constant pressure on our health care system, and move beyond crisis management? The health care system faces the most immediate and drastic impacts from Covid-19, however, nothing that resembles a viable long-term restoration plan can be found.
Covid-19 has so far been dealt with through contingency planning and crisis management. It is no longer acceptable to use these tools alone, when we face multiple long-term threats to the health care system.
The nightly news seems fixated on the ‘vax v.s. anti-vax’ conversation, as has government messaging, when that discussion is largely over. An overwhelming majority of Canadians support vaccines and have proven their general support by adapting to an ever-changing patchwork of government mitigation efforts to the virus over the past two years.
This is Canada, we support our health care workers here. We take pride in that, it’s a part of our culture.
It’s our government that has an opportunity to enact a long-term plan that will move beyond this crisis. Status-quo thinking has thus far doomed our health care ‘heroes’ to inhumane working conditions, relentless overwork and burnout – with no end in sight!
Our health care workers are fighting the battles, while political leadership is risking losing the war.
To add insult to injury, pay increases for health care staff have been slow to come, amidst an ominous staffing situation. Current service levels cannot be maintained because of persistent staff shortages. Thousands of Canadians no longer have access to a family doctor. Critical interventions in health are being missed every day as-long-as this continues.
One might logically expect that within a context of long-term shortages of doctors, nurses and specialists before the pandemic, that some plan would now be in the works to increase the training of critically needed personnel. Shouldn’t this plan be accelerated given the severely stressed nature of health care delivery in Canada currently?
It’s abundantly clear that political will exists to increase resources to the health sector. Canadians expect a health care system that has the resources it needs to function.
When are our governments going to act?
-Noel Muller
noelmuller.com 