For Immediate Release

August 2, 2024  

To support Canadian patients, communities and medical professionals, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (Royal College) looks forward to continued collaboration with the Government of Canada and recommends investments aimed at enhancing our health care system, to make it more equitable, resilient and sustainable.

"The Royal College is steadfast in its support for a strong health care system and to working collaboratively with partners to address the challenges to better meet the needs of patients,” says Royal College President Brian Hodges, MD, FRCPC. “We applaud the outstanding progress our colleagues and partners are making towards a more resilient health care system, and we are pleased to help amplify many of their excellent recommendations, alongside suggesting some areas of need that, as specialist physicians, we see day-to-day in training and clinical practice."

Annually, the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance invites organizations and individuals across Canada to submit recommendations for key priorities for the upcoming federal budget. This year, the Royal College submitted four recommendations to the federal government to invest in key areas to help build a more equitable health care system:

• Forgive federal student loans for all resident doctors and new in-practice physicians.
• Establish and fund a national secretariat to support planetary health within Health Canada in collaboration with the provinces and territories, and Indigenous communities, and continue to support planetary health education for the health workforce.
• Provide funding for Phase II of the National Consortium for Indigenous Medical Education (NCIME).
• Continue to work with national health care organizations to reduce the administrative burden facing physicians.

"The Royal College believes that addressing burnout and resource shortages, as well as making investments in planetary health and in supporting health equity, will enhance the health care system holistically,” Dr. Hodges explains. “Through these transformative investments, the well-being of those who care for Canadian patients and populations would be enhanced, making our system healthier and more resilient."

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For media enquiries:

Laura Thomas
lthomas@royalcollege.ca
Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada

About the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada

The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada is the national professional association that pursues excellence in medical education, professional standards and building physician competence. We protect the health of Canadians by helping physicians build skills, knowledge and expertise through lifelong learning and continuing professional development. We accredit the university programs that train resident physicians for their specialty practices, and we administer the examinations that residents must pass to become certified as specialists. In collaboration with health organizations and government agencies, the Royal College also plays a role in developing sound health policy in Canada. To find out more, please visit royalcollege.ca.

View the Federal 2025 Pre-Budget Submission