New Brunswick doctors head to Canada’s “Parliament of Medicine” with call for improved seniors care
In a show of national unity, the President of the New Brunswick Medical Society will join colleagues from Alberta to make motions related to seniors care at Canada’s “Parliament of Medicine.”
“As the two provinces in Canada with the youngest and oldest populations, we’re making motions together to show that better care for seniors must be a national priority,” said Dr Camille Haddad, a family doctor from Miramichi. “Improving care for seniors benefits our elders, adults who care for their ageing parents, and our entire society.”
Ten doctors from New Brunswick have joined hundreds of medical leaders from across the nation in Halifax at the 148th General Council of the Canadian Medical Association. The physicians gathering at the meeting, called Canada’s “Parliament of Medicine,” represent 80,000 doctors nationwide.
The motions from Alberta and New Brunswick call for better support for caregivers of seniors, to better organise and equip hospitals to make their facilities more accessible to seniors, to involve community partners as patients transition in and out of health care institutions, and to increasingly recognise seniors for the time and effort they volunteer in their communities.
“New Brunswick needs to better address the evolving needs of our seniors, but we’re the first in a long line of provinces that will have to address this demographic reality,” said Dr Haddad. “Even Alberta isn’t immune from the challenges our system faces – we simply aren’t meeting the needs of seniors today.”
While the major call for nationwide action at General Council relates to a badly-needed National Seniors Strategy, other planned topics of discussion include physician-assisted death and better prescribing of opioids.
“Medicine is a high-stakes profession that is responding to and leading health care change,” said Dr Haddad. “The discussions are serious and this is an excellent opportunity to share what we’re doing in New Brunswick and learn from other provinces.”
–
CONTACT: Aleisha Bosch, New Brunswick Medical Society, (506) 458-8860 Ext. 633
Founded in 1867, the New Brunswick Medical Society is the professional association representing all physicians in New Brunswick. Its twin goals are to represent and serve physicians, and advocate for the health of New Brunswickers. Over a hundred New Brunswick doctors sit on our Board and Committees, representing the 1600 doctors in the province.