Open letter from the College of Family Physicians of Canada™ (CFPC) to our Members

2022-06-22

It has been a long two years.

We have had to adapt to new ways of caring for patients and new ways of running practices, while taking on even greater administrative burdens. We have done this with few additional resources or any additional compensation. Many of us are feeling overburdened, unable to take a proper break, undervalued by all levels of government and other health care providers, and are burnt out, frustrated, and demoralized.

The CFPC hears you.

Family physicians have always been, and should always be, at the centre of primary care for Canada’s patients and their families. Even in the most challenging of times family physicians have continued to serve as the only practitioners who care for every person, of every age and condition, from cradle to grave. But we are not being heard by key decision makers.

There is a crisis in family medicine.

The system needs to support us. More physicians are retiring and fewer medical students are choosing a career in family practice. Patients’ needs are becoming more complex, the costs of running practices are higher, and an increasing number of patients cannot access the care and support they require in a timely way. Something needs to be done. Now.

The CFPC is fighting for you.

The CFPC continues to advocate for you. We continue to demand action from federal Ministers and senior civil servants. Our provincial Chapters have mounted awareness campaigns and are similarly engaged with provincial politicians. We are developing targeted communications campaigns to elevate our collective voice and effect change, to drive action toward that which we can control, and to bring awareness to those issues we can shine a light on. We have solutions for those willing to listen—such as team-based care in well-supported Patient’s Medical Homes that are led by family physicians.

We are just getting started. But we won’t stop until our voices are acknowledged and we see change.

There is no health care without family doctors.