Rural health care at the millennium -- a time to celebrate [CJRM

Rural health care at the millennium — a time to celebrate

Patricia Vann, MD

CJRM 2000;5(1):10.

The concept of rural health care as an important part of Canada's medical menagerie has come a long way since 1992 when the Mount Forest physicians first took job action and subsequently formed the Society of Rural Physicians of Canada. Over the years, the message of compensation for call, frequency of call, sustainable working conditions for rural physicians and equitable health care for all rural Canadians has certainly come to the forefront. At every level of government and within medical organizations, training and accrediting bodies, the message that rural health care is important, that rural health and its providers are unique and that rural health care is in trouble has been heard over and over again. Now these facts have finally been acknowledged and progress is starting to be made.

The need for us to link rural physicians in order to give each other support and to realize that we do not stand alone, has been fostered through the RuralMed discussion group, the various regional and national committees that meet by teleconference to tackle problems, and through our annual and regional CME events. We have a first-class Canadian Journal of Rural Medicine of which we can be very proud. These venues have led to opportunities to develop and to promote solutions to our concerns that are appropriate to rural realities.

Our joint position papers on rural maternity care (Can J Rural Med 1998;3[2]) and on training for rural family physicians in advanced maternity skills and cesarean section (Can J Rural Med 1999:4[4]) have created national interest, and the recommendations are now widely accepted. Our work with the College of Family Physicians of Canada on the document "Postgraduate education for rural family practice"¹ is sending a clear rural message to the educators. Working papers on training family physicians for anesthesia and surgery in rural areas are moving ahead. The success of the Rural Critical Care Courses is another example of how we are succeeding in getting our message out and our needs better met.

The image of rural medicine has changed and will continue to change now that some of the challenges we have presented are being met.

As we enter the new millennium and face still new challenges, we have reached our goal of 1000 members by 2000. I think we all have something to celebrate.

Reference

Working Group on Postgraduate Education for Rural Family Practice. Postgraduate education for rural family practice. Vision and recommendations for the new millennium. Can Fam Physician 1999;45:2698-704.