The Power of Us

There has been a lot going on within our profession and around the world, issues that affect us, our loved ones, our patients, and our communities. In my outreach with members throughout the province, I have heard many firsthand accounts of the difficulties and moral distress they continue to face. From power struggles within the system to fatigue and overwhelm from a crippling primary care system, all doctors are feeling the burn. 

Through public campaigns like the recent rally on the front lawn of the legislature, empowered patients are speaking out about the deterioration of their health as they try in vain to find a family doctor. When I meet with doctors around the province, it’s the state of primary care that I hear about most – from both family doctors and specialists alike. That’s not to say I don’t hear about the surgical backlog and other burdens that specialists are facing, but they too are feeling the negative impacts that the lack of primary care access and attachment is having on their workloads and their patients. 

I think we all can agree that a collapsed primary care system would adversely affect every doctor, and every single patient in BC. What we need right now is for all of us to unite our voices in our advocacy for the critical foundation of our health care system – to support and stand behind our family medicine colleagues in the fight for the survival of primary care. 

When we work together towards a common goal – a shared vision – and support one another for the betterment of our profession, our healthcare system, and our humanity, we are powerful beyond measure. We need to remember our shared purpose, the fundamental reason why we became physicians – to improve health outcomes and impact the lives of our patients. Of course, there will always be differences, but there is great power in the collective voice – and working together, as a united profession, is imperative now more than ever.

Your dedication to every one of your patients and to the profession is unparalleled. From family doctors to specialists alike, your commitment to caring for others—even in the most difficult and challenging of times—is truly inspiring. As we lead our communities and patients through this primary care crisis, allow us to use our relationships and our commitment to our collective vision for the betterment of humanity. We know we all have differences and unique needs, but now is the time to show what we are made of and what we are capable of, as the Power of Us.

- Dr Ramneek Dosanjh