Family medicine collapse is at the root of the health system collapse

A few healthcare decision makers seek to help the system in primitive ways that do not address the main issue, just like that provider who prescribed Tylenol only to a severely depressed patient with headache. The first one says, “We will bring foreign doctors,” while the other says, “Pharmacists will diagnose and treat.” A third says, “We will buy a new MRI device.” One of them might come out and say, if the situation persists and the system deteriorates to a greater degree than it is now, that we will allow physiotherapists to diagnose and treat, another might say chiropractors can do the same, a third may inquire about massage therapists, a fourth about midwives, etc. People’s lives are not a ball where anyone can kick it because not everyone who kicks the ball is a player, nor is everyone who wears a white coat a doctor. Read: Dr. Jabir Jassam: Are FPs the malady or the remedy? Dear decision-makers: we know you might have good intentions, but that isn’t enough and can be harmful and won’t help—since you, in the past, made extremely poor and wrong decisions. Adding stones to the wall or changing the shingles won’t make a difference if there are cracks in the foundation, therefore you must fix the foundation first, otherwise the house will collapse. To fix the health system you need to go through family medicine first and fix it. Starting with the foundation, family medicine, is the key to fixing the health system. In the healthcare system, adding more people to prescribe or diagnose is not the solution but an insult to everyone. To our patients who deserve to be seen and treated by qualified professionals, to our doctors who spent their whole lives studying and practising, to our pharmacists who will be diverted from their crucial responsibilities. We need to first fix family medicine’s issues, resources, payments and respect its independence. Lastly, dear decision-makers: your new shingles look good, but your house is collapsing. Dr. Jabir Jassam is a family physician in Ottawa.

Family medicine collapse is at the root of the health system collapse

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