CBC ran a story yesterday about a leaked copy of the draft Hay report into the future of health care on PEI.
I've not read the report, but they make reference to a suggestion that the number of doctors in PEI may be cut. This could obviously cause concern for patients and doctors who might be worried about the effect this might have on their care.
No matter what the report contains, the changes in health care will not reduce the need for doctors in the province. Improvements in health care delivery will mean better care for patients. However, there are lots of reasons why the number of doctors won't be able to be safely reduced in the foreseeable future:
1. There is a huge unmet health need. Better working will help meet, but will not exceed this need.
2. The population is aging.
3. As care improves, people need more care for the complex chronic illnesses that they are living longer with.
4. It will take 15 years to introduce changes across the health care system.
5. As the use of nurses and technicians increases, they will become an increasingly valuable resource, slowing the rate of change and increasing costs.
I'm looking forward to reading the final report when it is published.
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