I have problems with a kidney. I have an appointment with a specialist.
In anticipation of our meeting, we had a brief telephone exchange.
He told me he was in favor of a new approach to medicine.
I waited for the sequel.
Progress?
“Yes, my profession must evolve,” he clarified. “I believe that we need a medical practice more focused on anti-oppression, anti-racism and social justice.” Hmm…
I’m kidding, don’t worry. My kidneys are doing very well. I just made it up.
Well, not exactly.
The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada – admit that the title already has an effect – is the body which, under federal law, supervises the quality of training and evaluation of medical specialists and surgeons in the country.
Nothing less.
To obtain the right to practice, all specialists must, in addition to all other requirements, pass the College examination.
In Quebec, it shares this responsibility with the College of Physicians of Quebec.
The Royal College bases its role on a reference document, called CanMEDS, defining the skills necessary to practice the profession.
This document must be renewed in 2025. The College has mandated experts to make recommendations on this future version.
A working group report, obtained by Michael Higgins of the National Post, believes that “the new CanMEDS model should focus on values such as anti-oppression, anti-racism and social justice rather than medical expertise” (my translation).
Yes, “rather than medical expertise” (“rather than medical expertise“).
Medical practice should also be based on recognition of the impact of “historical power structures such as white supremacy, hetero-patriarchy and capitalism.”
In short, it is not enough to ask future doctors to be sensitive to the fact that our society is more diverse than in the past, or that many people are wary of hospitals.
Better, we should now “prioritize two-way relationships with patients, suppliers, communities and the earth”.
Bidirectional relationships with the earth??
Before you panic, rest assured: the majority of practitioners remain sane.
The President of the Ontario Association of Radiologists, Dr.r David Jacobs calls this “bonkers» (crazy and stupid).
Virus
Practitioners, he says, with their qualities and faults, recognize the importance of empathy and compassion.
But a handful of activists, he deplores, take advantage of the fact that doctors are, for the most part, overwhelmed to promote, in strategic bodies, an EDI agenda (equity, diversity and inclusion) which, under its guise intentional, becomes a test of ideological and political purity that we want to impose on everyone.
Yes, even at the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.
If you thought that only the university is contaminated by this virus, I regret to tell you that you are late in the news.
Just because you laugh doesn’t mean it’s funny.