This article originally appeared in the Summer 2022 issue of the Ontario Medical Review magazine.
What we achieved, we achieved together
It’s been said the only time you should look back is to see how far you’ve come. While this is a true statement in most circumstances, it’s not fully accurate in my case.
As I look back on my time as your OMA president, I’m struck by how far we’ve come, together; as an association, a profession and leaders in the health-care system.
And while the lessons of the past year are innumerable, one of my fundamental takeaways is that the physician voice will need to be central for any health-care system transformation success to be achieved.
This is why our advocacy for health-system leadership has been a cornerstone of the year.
Our Prescription for Ontario: Doctors’ 5-Point Plan for Better Health Care is a roadmap for the future of health care that was borne out of the largest consultation in the 140-year history of our association.
The imperative is that change must happen – and fast – and it’s with your time and expertise and vision for the future that we were able to produce this comprehensive document to improve health care in the province and for all Ontarians. Your voices and experiences are the foundation of our five pillars consisting of 87 recommendations launched at Queen’s Park and in northern Ontario.
Through all the ups and downs of leading through a pandemic, it was the arrival of Omicron that provided the most challenges. Working on the front lines through COVID fatigue like all of you and preparing for another lockdown, it was hearing about your stories from the trenches and willingness to stare down another crisis within a crisis that gave me the courage and strength to move forward.
Importantly, this occurred along the backdrop of negotiations. Leading our members and association through negotiations and ratification of the Physician Services Agreement, represents one of the most important milestones of my tenure, a historic achievement at a time when we were grappling with the pandemic response.
Additionally, one of my core priorities as president was to ensure the successful implementation of our governance transformation – an important step to modernizing the association and laying the groundwork for another 100 years of physician advocacy.
Serving as your president has been the greatest professional privilege of my career. And I couldn’t be more grateful to you – the members – for placing your trust in me. I can only hope that I lived up to your expectations.
As I transition to the role of immediate past president, I am heartened by the possibility of greater progress, greater accomplishment and a greater future for the association.
Make no mistake, we need a strong OMA. We need a unified OMA. We need an OMA that will continue to represent physician interests while leading us through an era of profound change and opportunity.
I’ll always be rooting for, and confident in, the OMA to rise to that challenge.