Royal College discusses national leadership approaches to Canadian health care with Federal Minister of Health

The Royal College welcomes recent efforts by the federal Minister of Health, Rona Ambrose, to engage and collaborate with Canada’s national health organizations and leaders. With growing illness complexity, budget limitations and an aging population challenging Canada’s health system, national leadership is vital. The Royal College’s senior leaders met with Minister Ambrose today at the Canadian Medical Association’s General Council meeting to discuss specialist employment issues, indigenous health, and the importance of innovation to the long-term sustainability of our health care system. “The Royal College agrees with the important role of innovation in health care,” said Royal College President, Cecil Rorabeck, MD, OC, FRCSC. “We believe leadership is needed to explore how our health care system can best benefit by employing technologies and innovation so Canadians can receive timely and high quality care. The federal government must also take the leadership to develop a national human resources for health strategy and a permanent agency to support ongoing health workforce planning.” The Royal College, along with its 44,000 members practising across Canada and abroad, looks forward to working with its government partners to enhance the efficiency, safety and quality of health and health care services. “Collaboration and open dialogue with the federal government are essential,” said Royal College CEO Andrew Padmos, MD, FRCPC. “To improve the effectiveness of the Canadian health care system, we urge the minister to lead an innovative approach to health workforce research and make national health human resources planning a top priority.” Moving forward, the Royal College encourages Minister Ambrose to continue this dialogue and engage in sustained collaborative efforts with health care providers to ensure that all Canadians have access to high quality health and care.