Northern health care system 'in crisis' has much work to do

More than 300 physicians are needed in the north and that number does not factor in retirements that may take place over the next five years

20211010 northern ontario school of medicine speakers

Top left to right: Dr. Sarita Verma, Dean, President of NOSM and Dr. Sarah Newbery, NOSM's Assistant Dean . Bottom left to right: Allan O'Dette, CEO of the OMA and OMA President, Dr. Adam Kassam.Supplied

The Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) hosted the Ontario Medical Association (OMA) in Sudbury on Monday for the launch of the OMA’s northern health-care recommendations called Prescription for Northern Ontario.

In developing the study, more than 1,600 physicians and physician leaders provided input. In addition, associations representing hospitals, nurses, and many other healthcare professionals participated. Almost 8,000 Ontarians in 600 communities offered feedback through an online survey.

"As the voice of 43,000 physicians in Ontario, the OMA has a tremendous impact and has committed to advocating for better resources for mental health and addictions, long-term care, and virtual medicine among other key priorities," says a news release.

“This is an unprecedented commitment from the OMA to health care in northern Ontario,” says Dr. Sarita Verma, NOSM President. “Our health-care system was fragile before the pandemic, now it is on the brink of a crisis. We are grateful to the OMA for listening to doctors and creating a plan that will assist in advocating and changing the landscape of health care in the north for decades to come.”

“Now is the time for all institutions to come together and contribute to a healthcare model in northern Ontario that is sustainable,” added Dr. Sarah Newbery, NOSM Assistant Dean Physician Workforce Strategy. “NOSM has been very successful in improving access to quality health care for Northern Ontarians, but the reality is we have so much more work to do.”

According to NOSM’s estimates, more than 300 physicians are needed in the North and that number does not factor in retirements that may take place over the next five years. NOSM’s strategic plan, The NOSM Challenge 2025, identified this as the key priority with a focus on specialist and subspecialist physician training.

As NOSM prepares to transition to Canada’s first standalone medical university, Dr. Verma is consulting widely across northern Ontario.

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