President’s message

President's Message.
Fall 2021 – Rural Advocacy

The theme of the cancelled 2020 R and R conference was 'Rural Physician Advocacy'. Our organisation exists because of the powerful advocacy of rural physicians. Over the years, the SRPC and its members have punched above their weight to improve health care for rural Canadians. Through the difficulties of the pandemic, we have continued to make advancements in some important areas of rural health care. These include national physician licensure, virtual care and rural patient transfer.

For several years, the SRPC and our allies have advocated for national physician licensure. Many rural and remote communities depend on physicians from other jurisdictions to provide virtual care and locum relief. This advocacy has continued through the pandemic. In May 2021, the SRPC and other physician groups circulated a letter to all ministers of health calling for action on a national approach to licensure. We also submitted a brief to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Health. This work appears to be garnering attention from decision-makers. The pandemic may prove to be a tipping point in the ongoing work for a system of national licensure.

Virtual care changed our practises significantly over the past year and a half. Many of the improvements are likely to become permanent parts of how we work. While virtual care has improved access for many patients, the rapid uptake has raised important questions. What conditions are most appropriate for virtual care? What platforms work best? How can virtual care support continuity of care for rural patients? These need to be answered with a rural lens and in the context of infrastructure and bandwidth deserts that remain widespread across rural Canada. SRPC has been represented on a national Virtual Care Taskforce and at a recent virtual care stakeholder summit.