Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing MP, Carol Hughes writes a regular column about initiatives and issues impacting our community.
Last month, Canada’s Premiers met to discuss the most pressing issue facing their respective jurisdictions, and all agreed, from each corner of the country, regardless of political affiliation, what that issue is: the potential collapse of our cherished public health care system.
Federal government representatives did not respond to the Premiers’ request to meet and further discuss increasing its share of health care funding from 22 to 35 per cent to address these challenges, instead making arguments through media that they have done enough.
In the short time that has followed, we’ve seen news story after news story about ER closures across the country. Staffing levels for nurses and support staff are cratering as many are facing burnout after two years of a pandemic, with many often deciding to leave a profession they love because of stress.
The time to fix these issues is now, and federal leadership is needed to address this before they get worse.
A study conducted by the Registered Practical Nurses Association of Ontario (WeRPN) about the challenges nurses face in this province is eye-opening. Seven in ten nurses believe patients’ health is being put at risk due to inadequate time, resources and staffing levels. It’s noted that 84 per cent have been asked to work more shifts or overtime to cover staffing shortages and that 79 per cent are experiencing moral distress on the job.
And most troubling, almost half say they are considering leaving the profession. We can’t overwork people to the brink and expect good health outcomes.
The Federal government has a responsibility, under the Canada Health Act, to ensure the five principles of the act (universality, comprehensiveness, portability, accessibility and public administration) are followed, and with the current issues involving ER closures, each of these principles suffer to varying degrees, particularly accessibility.
The assumption is that each Canadian should have a reasonable expectation to receive medical services in a timely manner close to home. When ERs close, that reasonable expectation falls apart.
While certainly the provinces, as the administrators of health services, have the responsibility to ensure that ER doors do not close, it’s not doable if they don’t have the staff compliments to keep them open.
Aside from responding to the requests from provinces and territories to increase its share of healthcare funding from 22 to 35 per cent, how can the Federal government best support those jurisdictions to ensure they have enough staff to keep ERs open and keep nurses from burning out further?
They can lead by supporting the provinces and territories to make credentialing easier for those who are trained as nurses, doctors, and specialists outside of the country but not credentialed to work in Canada.
In Ontario alone, there are 15,000 international nurses waiting to be processed by the College of Nurses. If we can get those people credentialed and working, it would ease the burden on those nurses who have already given so much of themselves and are feeling burnout.
Additionally, we should consider the creation of a national health care human resource data collection and coordination agency, and provide pan-Canadian licensure for health professionals.
These two measures combined would provide health care practitioners with a simpler method to ensure they are licensed to practice anywhere in Canada, as well as provide hospitals and health networks an easier method to recruit those professionals once accredited.
Training doctors, nurses, and specialists takes time, and addressing shortages in staffing levels must begin immediately. We have the people who can do that work in Canada already, they just need to be given an opportunity to be able to.
If we are to protect our cherished public health care system, we need the feds to come to the table with the provinces to ensure that hospitals, clinics, and ERs get the staff they need to operate.