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SPRING 2009 |
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X E C U T I V E D I R E C T O R ' S M E S S A G
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Cameron report
provides blueprint for correcting system
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Dawn Mason Photo |
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Robert Ritter |
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Commissioner Margaret
Cameron's final sentence on governance and accountability says it all:
“The whole of the health system, to varying degrees can be said to have
failed the ER/PR patients. There was a failure of accountability and
oversight at all levels.” Despite Justice Cameron’s admonitions, this is
a good news story. Here’s why.
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By Rob Ritter |
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After many months of testimony and
painstaking analysis, the Report of the Commission of Inquiry on
Hormone Receptor Testing has finally been released. The findings of
Commissioner Margaret Cameron are sobering indeed. Her final
sentence in the section on governance and accountability says it
all: “The whole of the health system, to varying degrees can be said
to have failed the ER/PR patients. There was a failure of
accountability and oversight at all levels.” Despite Justice
Cameron’s admonitions, this is a good news story. Here’s why.
Before the proceedings began, the
Commissioner indicated that her over-arching goal was to restore public
confidence in the health care system. The purpose of the public inquiry
was to diagnose the problems and understand their causes. This has been
carried out by the Commission with surgical precision. Based on the
findings, we have been provided with a blueprint for correcting many of
the malfunctions in the system.
Those working in medical care have known
for a very long time of the malaise that has permeated the system. We
have been ringing alarm bells about the strains of an inadequate
workforce, the risks to safety and quality when people are overworked,
the need for modernized information systems and the absence of clear
pragmatic policies associated with the delivery of health care. The
findings of the inquiry reflect the concerns of the NLMA and we are
pleased that, for the most part, the recommendations that we submitted
to the Commission have been incorporated into the final report.
There is an ever-increasing public demand
for more robust accountability and transparency with respect to all who
are vested with public trust. The medical profession is no exception and
the lessons learned through the inquiry are instructive. Over the coming
days and weeks, we will be reviewing the inquiry report in depth with
the intention of harvesting the ideas and advice that will assist us in
strengthening the practices of the medical profession for the years to
come. We urge all our members to read the inquiry report with a positive
orientation and look forward to your input as we proceed.
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