Health-care crisis needs fixing before opening medical school, Health P.E.I. AGM hears

In an address to Health P.E.I.'s AGM Wednesday, CEO Dr. Michael Gardam called the issues facing the organization "a perfect storm." 

The AGM was held in Summerside with about 80 people attending in person, and another 40 online.

There are fundamentally not enough workers in health care on P.E.I., said Gardam. There were retirements after the pandemic, and for every long-time physician lost it takes about three more to replace them. 

On top of that, the population is growing. 

"When people get access, they get great care," Gardam said.

"The issue is people getting access." 

The problem is not unique to Prince Edward Island, he said. Healthcare systems across the country are stretched thin.

But Gardam also addressed an issue particular to P.E.I.: the medical school currently being built on the UPEI campus. The school will require doctors to teach in it, he said, and doctors who are teaching at a medical school aren't seeing patients. That will cause further problems for access to care, Gardam said. P.E.I. needs to solve its recruitment problem and hire a lot more doctors, he said, before it opens a medical school.

"We can't have the medical school as a solution to our recruitment problems if it's harming our healthcare system at the same time," he said. 

"We have to be able to figure out how to fix a lot of the fundamental problems, or at least be well on the way to fix the fundamental problems at Health P.E.I. with respect to recruitment, and then we can talk med school." 

'We need to train our own'

Health Minister Mark McLane defended the medical school, while acknowledging the path forward is not an easy one.

"There's no doubt the medical school is challenging," said McLane.

"We need to train our own so that we can produce our own."

Frontline workers have been sharing their concerns about staffing with him, he said, and he assured the audience that steps are being taken to address it.

He gave specific examples: making it easier for internationally-trained nurses to work in the province, eliminating fees for LPNs and RCWs, and reducing barriers that make it difficult for physicians from the United States to practice on the Island. 

"We're expanding the workforce pool that we can attract from," said McLane.

"That's very exciting because it's a competitive marketplace. So we need to go to different markets and ... reduce those pathways so that they can practise on Prince Edward Island." 

'More realistic timeline'

Gardam said he does think the health-care system is improving in the province.

While the changes may not be as flashy as announcing hundreds of doctors have been hired, he said what's happening behind the scenes is making a difference.

"What's happened after the pandemic has scared the bejesus out of Canada's healthcare system ...the barriers are coming down very quickly," he said. 

"We are going to start seeing a lot more people coming to Canada. Then the challenge is going to be, 'Oh my God, we can't pay for all these healthcare workers.' But I would rather that problem than the problem we currently have."

This is slated to be Gardam's last Health P.E.I. AGM. In July, he announced his plans to resign as CEO.

And while he won't be leading next year's AGM, he said he would be present.

"I definitely will be tuning in," he said.

"I'll be asking questions next year at the AGM, believe me."

Gardam was given a standing ovation.