Emergency care: Yet another challenging summer

For the third summer in a row, Canadians have faced overwhelmed emergency departments caused by staff shortages, overcrowded hospitals, lack of bed capacity and lack of access to community-based primary care. In some situations, particularly in rural areas, emergency departments have had to close due to insufficient staffing.

This situation is deeply troubling. Canadians deserve to know that the health care system will be there for them when they need it, and health care workers deserve to work free from the constant threat of burn out.

The CMA maintains that only coordinated, long-term planning can lead to lasting solutions to this persistent crisis. Our recommendations are evidence-based and need to be implemented as quickly as possible to stabilize and rebuild the system:

• Increase capacity in our health systems by retaining, training, and credentialing medical professionals.
• Put federal investments to work to address capacity issues, sharing and unlocking solutions urgently needed to increase access to care.
• Eliminate administrative pressures in the health care system.
• Establish high-quality team-based primary care to expand overall access to the health system.
• Implement pan-Canadian licensure to allow physician mobility across the country.

Physicians and health-care workers work tirelessly to care for Canadians and to build a sustainable health-care system. We urge governments to ensure that this summer be the last with so many access to care interruptions, and that the coming year be one of profound change across the country.