Realizing objectives as ambitious as those outlined here requires the cooperation of many groups. In the past, the lack of communication among stakeholders has contributed to misinterpretations of motives. Rural patients through their representatives are demanding nothing less. Forty percent of the Canadian population lives in rural Canada where the bite of health care reform has had the greatest impact. Individual voices have little impact on those who would have you believe that they know what is best for health care in this country.
Many issues remain to be explored.
The lack of a comprehensive and universally available locum service remains a priority. Probably the most critical is the DOH admission that there are not enough warm bodies to make this a reality. However, we have an opportunity to craft a unique solution to the problem by involving rural physicians who are the major beneficiary of a locum service. Departments of health need to reconsider the value they place on physicians who are prepared to undertake this rather extraordinary roll in health care. Rural physicians are ready to deal with this subject, but first they need to be asked.