Winter 2012 Although the public eye sees PEI as having a severe shortage of physicians and a lack of availability of timely access and services, especially in rural ar- eas, the message being received by students from government officials is discrepant to this. With the frequent closure of emergency rooms, messages of heavy workloads, and long hours forcing physi- cians away, it is hard to deny that the system needs reorganization and more bodies. However, the story remains grim for many students looking for support in order to someday return to help fill the void in under-serviced areas of the Island. In congruence with the CFMS position on manda- tory return of service, these strategies do not pro- mote retention, but force those who may not freely choose to practice in a given specialty or location to fill a gap before fleeing to what they had their initial ideas set on. The logistics of the plan would only meet the needs through dictation of the spe- cialty and pre-determined regions to practice in order to fit the demands of the under-serviced areas upon licensure. A better investment with a more sustainable return would focus on incentives that promote recruitment and retention in under- serviced areas, directed towards students who are into the medical program and have an idea of the specialty or area that they would someday like to practice in. This would thereby promote a free T he recent news of the PEI government’s plan to implement a mandatory return of service from those Islanders who fill seats at MUN has taken many Island students by surprise. Not only does the policy appear crude and coercive, it sells PEI short as a great place to someday live and work, implying that the only way to make health care professionals stay is mandate it. The greatest concerns not only lie in the fact that perhaps this violates a human right to practice in a given specialty and location of one’s choice, but that it leaves other students who actually may want to return to practice feeling the cold shoulder. The bottom line is that a strategy that may guarantee short-term return will create a revolving door of high turnover and perhaps unhappy physicians working in under- served areas of PEI. Creating a revolving door...and leaving some of us outside it choice to return to the locations of greatest need at their own free will. If the PEI government de- cides that the only way to recruit and retain physi- cians to meet the healthcare demands of Islanders is through coercion, then perhaps it is time to look at the reasons incoming physicians choose not to stay. In terms of arguments made by PEI politicians re- garding a return on investment, this is only a clever distraction. The PEI government highly subsidizes university education of all types, not just medicine. Look at the provincial contributions to UPEI as a whole. When it comes to studying medicine we must leave the province and to allow for this, seats have been allocated and subsidized. In what oth- er vocation do we control where a student must work after graduation? As previously pointed out, a more effective way to increase physician return to the Island would be to make it a more attractive system to work in. So much for the ‘gentle’ island! Written by PEI medical students: Joanne Reid, Mitchell Drake, Jess Zambonin Join us March 3 for a family sleigh ride. RSVP to [email protected]for details.
Transcript
Winter2012The Pulse
Although the public eye sees PEI as having a severe shortage of physicians and a lack of availability of timely access and services, especially in rural ar-eas, the message being received by students from government officials is discrepant to this. With the frequent closure of emergency rooms, messages of heavy workloads, and long hours forcing physi-cians away, it is hard to deny that the system needs reorganization and more bodies. However, the story remains grim for many students looking for support in order to someday return to help fill the void in under-serviced areas of the Island.
In congruence with the CFMS position on manda-tory return of service, these strategies do not pro-mote retention, but force those who may not freely choose to practice in a given specialty or location to fill a gap before fleeing to what they had their initial ideas set on. The logistics of the plan would only meet the needs through dictation of the spe-cialty and pre-determined regions to practice in order to fit the demands of the under-serviced areas upon licensure. A better investment with a more sustainable return would focus on incentives that promote recruitment and retention in under-serviced areas, directed towards students who are into the medical program and have an idea of the specialty or area that they would someday like to practice in. This would thereby promote a free
The recent news of the PEI government’s plan to implement a mandatory return of service from those Islanders who fill seats at MUN has taken many Island students by surprise. Not only does the policy appear crude and coercive, it sells PEI short as a great place to someday live and work, implying that the only
way to make health care professionals stay is mandate it. The greatest concerns not only lie in the fact that perhaps this violates a human right to practice in a given specialty and location of one’s choice, but that it leaves other students who actually may want to return to practice feeling the cold shoulder. The bottom line is that a strategy that may guarantee short-term return will create a revolving door of high turnover and perhaps unhappy physicians working in under-served areas of PEI.
Creating a revolving door...and leaving some of us outside it
choice to return to the locations of greatest need at their own free will. If the PEI government de-cides that the only way to recruit and retain physi-cians to meet the healthcare demands of Islanders is through coercion, then perhaps it is time to look at the reasons incoming physicians choose not to stay.
In terms of arguments made by PEI politicians re-garding a return on investment, this is only a clever distraction. The PEI government highly subsidizes university education of all types, not just medicine. Look at the provincial contributions to UPEI as a whole. When it comes to studying medicine we must leave the province and to allow for this, seats have been allocated and subsidized. In what oth-er vocation do we control where a student must work after graduation? As previously pointed out, a more effective way to increase physician return to the Island would be to make it a more attractive system to work in. So much for the ‘gentle’ island!
Written by PEI medical students: Joanne Reid, Mitchell Drake, Jess Zambonin
Third Annual Member Art show at The Guild, Charlottetown.
RODD MILL RIVER RESORT
ALL DAY
JUNE 23
STUDENT BURSARYGOLF TOURNAMENT
CME/Golf & Fun Night - more details to come
RODD MILL RIVER RESORT
SEPT 8 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF MSPEI
Mark your calendar today! RODD MILL RIVER RESORT
ALL DAY
The Medical Society proudly announces the third annual Right Brain Released Art Show. Last year’s
robustly creative artists presented their many talents in the visual arts genre at The Guild Gallery, down-
town Charlottetown. This year we are encouraging you to get an early start on your art piece(s) to ensure
inclusion in this richly received exhibition.
The MSPEI artistic membership is invited to submit their original works of art to the 2012 Right
Brain Released. Original works such as photography, paintings, ceramics, drawings, fabric or textile art,
pottery, jewellery, sculpture, and multi-media will be accepted – notice of date for submissions will be
forthcoming.
Organized by Dr. Jenni Zelin, Dr. Jen Ashby, and MSPEI staffer,
Heather Mullen, 2012 Right Brain Released will highlight
the many individual perspectives of our Island physi-
cians, residents and medical students. Stay tuned for
more exciting details.
Right Brain Released announced for May 1-12, 2012
Medical Society of PEI THE PULSE - FALL 2011 3
Presents a Day Long Symposium:Introduction to Davanloo’s IS-TDP:
A Powerful Technique to Deal with Unconscious GuiltOpen to professionals and students of all disciplines
treating clients with neurotic illness
Place: The Atlantic School of Theology, Halifax, Nova ScotiaDate and Time: Saturday March 3, 2012: 9 am to 4 pm
Objectives:Using vignettes from videotaped patient interviews, the symposium will:• Review basic metapsychology• Illustrate the central dynamic sequence
There will a focus on:• Identifying neurobiological pathways• Achieving an affective response• Passage of unconscious guilt
Presenting Faculty:Dr. Miroslaw Bilski-Piotrowski, Dr. Katharine Black,
Dr. Douglas Carmody, Dr. Jody Clarke, Dr. Christopher StewartRegistration Fee:
$100 for practitioners and $50 for studentsTo Register:
Please contact the office of Dr. Douglas CarmodyTel.: 902-315-0814 Fax.: 902-432-8168 E-mail: [email protected]
475 Granville Street, Summerside Medical Centre, Summerside, PEI, C1N 3N9
This event is an accredited group learning activity under Section 1 as defined by the Royal College of
Physicians & Surgeons of Canada for the Maintenance of Certification Program.
4 THE PULSE - FALL 2011 Medical Society of PEI
As humans we love a good
bargain/deal, whether it’s the
markets of Delhi or the high
streets of New York. People
line up outside stores in the
middle of winter to get things
at a discounted price. Some
do so out of economic
hardship, others to get
a ‘bargain’.
While studying at
the Central Institute
of Psychiatry In India,
we often went to town
for dinner and also to
pick up essentials. Get-
ting to town depended on;
•Owning a vehicle/ or
access to a friend’s
•Riding on 3 wheels (fa-
mously known as the auto rick-
shaw)
•Local bus service
The local buses were gener-
ally crowded, dirty and in the
peak of summer unbearable.
Then there was the auto rick-
shaw, which although relative-
ly convenient, was expensive
on a residents pay.
Once in town, and not on
your own vehicle, the options
to move around are the motor-
ized auto rickshaw or the en-
vironment friendly cycle rick-
shaw. No emissions bar perspi-
ration and it’s a popular option.
Powered by the ‘driver’ who
is often amongst the poorest,
they feel blessed if they can put
one meal a day on the table
for their families. A ride from
one end of the ‘high street’ to
the other would in the 90’s have
cost about Rs 15.00.
Often, there are up to 4-5 indi-
viduals on the rickshaw, and the
driver tries to weave through
chaos. To the rich in their flashy
cars, the cycle rickshaws are
nothing but an annoyance and
if there is an accident, they may
get assaulted for ‘being in the
way’.
Imagine navigating through
the pot holes, larger Lorries,
animals, and of course the hun-
dreds of people. All that pales in
comparison to what happens at
the end of the trip.
While fifteen rupees is what
most people give, there are
those who insist it is too much
and bargain. Why not twelve?
Tired from all the peddling, the
poor man has only one option,
to plead. In the dead
of winter all he has is a
towel across his chest
and a thin shirt.”Make
it thirteen”. Reluctantly
he accepts.
We look for a deal es-
pecially from those far
less fortunate, like fruit
vendors, rickshaw drivers and
the man in the market. Would
we dare bargain that way with
salesmen at Harrods, Mercedes
or the Rolex dealer?.
One wonders if it is a real
‘deal’.
A bargain!
“We look for a deal especially from those far less fortunate, like fruit vendors,
rickshaw drivers and the man in the market. Would we dare bargain that way with salesmen at
Harrods, Mercedes or the Rolex dealer?”
Written byDr. Shabbir Amanullah
Charlottetown Psychiatrist
Photo by Dr. Shabbir Amanullah
Medical Society of PEI THE PULSE - FALL 2011 5
Photo by Dr. Shabbir Amanullah
PEI INTRODUCES THE OTTAWA MODEL
There may be nothing new in
nicotine replacement therapy
(NRT) product choices.
However, the ‘how’ and ‘to
whom’ you prescribe NRT
may require modification.
Recent study of NRT would
dictate that both the medical
community and pharmacy
should be cognizant of
the current evidence and
tailor their prescribing/
counselling of NRT. Such
changes could translate into
an increase in successful
quit attempts for patients.
As of January 2012, the
Queen Elizabeth Hospital and
Prince County Hospital have
adopted the “Ottawa Model,”
a systematic approach to
helping patients quit smoking
during their hospital stay and
following discharge from
the hospital. This approach
to smoking cessation and
how your patients fair
following discharge is to a
high degree dependent on
your support and knowledge
smokers under 18 years
of age, may safely use
this cessation product.
Despite recent media reports
that NRT therapy may not
be the answer to tobacco
cessation, evidence strongly
supports their use when
combined with counselling.
The Ottawa Model is
demonstrating that many
patients who previously
failed quit attempts using
NRT were, more often than
not, under prescribed and
received no counselling.
If your patient is attempting
cessation without success,
continue to encourage them.
Patients are most likely to
succeed when approached
in a nonjudgmental way and
consistently reminded that
‘quitting is the single most
important thing you can do
for your health,’.... that, and a
combination of adequately
prescribed pharmacotherapy
and counselling.
of appropriate prescribing
of NRTs. The Ottawa Model
follows high NRT dosing
and for potentially longer
durations dependent on
patients’ levels of addiction.
Every patient is assessed
and a dosage customized
to their pattern of smoking
and nicotine dependence.
According to the Ottawa
Model (www.ottawa model.
ca), NRT labelling is outdated.
Research initially necessary
for approval to sell nicotine
replacement therapies ceased
once the developers of NRT
products got their green
light. The recommendations
currently on NRT products
are now at least 30 years old.
The latest research shows
that those recommendations
may be quite inadequate
depending on a smoker’s
level of addiction. In addition,
patients previously excluded
from using NRT, for example,
those with cardiovascular
disease, pregnant women,
Nicotine Replacement Therapy: One size does NOT fit all.
Sheila MacLean, RPR Physician Recruitment Coordinator Recruitment and Retention Secretariat Department of Health and Wellness.,
New PhysiciansDR. AARON SIBLEY Emergency Medicine - QEH January, 2012
DR. TOM BRONAUGH Emergency Medicine - QEH January, 2012
DR. VANDANA VAISHNAV Anesthesia - PCH January, 2012
DR. ANNA COOLEN Obs/Gyn - Charlottetown January, 2012
DR. JANET W ALKER Medical Oncology Clinical Associate QEH January, 2012
Committed to Begin Practice (Signed letters of offer)DR. ELIZABETH SCHNEIDER Psychiatry – Summerside March, 2012
DR. COLIN GASTON Pediatrics - QEH April, 2012
DR. PEREZ CARTAGENA Anesthesia/Pain Management May, 2012
DR. KRISTEN MEAD Pathology - QEH July, 2012
DR. KATHERINE BURLEIGH Family Medicine - West Prince July, 2012
DR. NICOLE FANCY Family Medicine - Montague July, 2012
DR. JOCELYN PETERSON Family Medicine - Charlottetown July, 2012
DR. HAL MACRAE Family Medicine - West Prince July, 2012
DR. AAKRITI CHAWLA Family Medicine - Charlottetown (2 year return in service) July, 2012
Site VisitsDR.. JOHN CARROLL Family Medicine - Souris/Charlottetown October 19 - 21, 2011
DR. JOHN HAYDEN Family Medicine - Souris/Montague October 20-24, 2011
DR. NABEEL ALANSARI Family Medicine - Souris / Family Medicine - Montague 11/22/11 (Souris) 01/30/12 (Montague)
DR. INGRID STAPPER Family Medicine - Souris/Charlottetown December 7 - 11, 2011
DR. JOHN ESMOND Family Medicine - Souris/Charlottetown December 7 - 11, 2011
DR. BING WANG Medical Microbiology January 4-7, 2012
DR. ZAHID LATIF Psychiatry January 15-18, 2012
DR. SYED NAVEED ASIF RIZVI Psychiatry January 17-21, 2012
5th Annual Turkey Dinner Drive
Once again, because of the generosity of Island physicians, and the tireless zeal of “Chief Turkey Collector,” Dr. Charles Trainor, by December 16,
2011, $12,000.00 had been collected from Island physicians and MSPEI staff in support of the island-wide, Annual CBC Turkey Drive.
Such generosity translated into 300 turkey dinners - including vegetables and cranberry sauce - for Island families who would have otherwise
done without this wonderful holiday tradition. And we all know the holiday is just not the same without.
Medical Society of PEI THE PULSE - FALL 2011 7
Dalhousie Students Visit PEI On Wednesday, December.21st, 15 Dalhousie students had the opportunity to see what PEI had to offer for a future practice.
At 6:00am, the non-Islanders in the group left Halifax to make the trip “across”. The day began with their arrival at 9:30am at
the Prince County Hospital where they were greeted by the Recruitment Committee and fellow Islanders. Following a tour of
the facility, students traveled to Central Queens Community Health Center to see what a smaller, more rural practice had to
offer. At the clinic, students were greeted by local health care providers, where they had a chance to chat about advantages of
collaborative care, as well as receive an on-site tour. From there, students traveled to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital for a lunch
and informal information session about contemporary and future health care and recruitment with the Minister of Health, Doug
Currie. Students had the opportunity to meet staff and tour the facility. That evening, the MSPEI provided a warm welcome to all
students at the annual Christmas Reception held at Mavor’s Bistro & Bar. Students had a great time, meeting with local physicians,
having some great refreshments, and dancing up the night!
Ranging from 1st to 4th year, students had a variety of different motivations and curiosities for making the trip. The majority were
interested in seeing how practice on the Island compared with that of other regions, such as Halifax. The demographics of the
area, resources available, collaboration in practice, and career opportunities were all hot topics for students. However, equally
important, was the lifestyle that the Island has to offer for not only a future physician, but their family.
Several aspects of the trip were memorable for students. The ability to have an interdisciplinary practice despite being in
a smaller community, and perhaps the greater necessity for this organization in the provision of holistic care was recognized.
This was especially highlighted in Hunter River, where pharmacists, physicians, and a nurse practitioner all work in harmony to
optimize patient welfare. The potential for community involvement and care at a more personal level were aspects that most
found appealing. The ability to provide comprehensive care to not only a single patient, but often the extended family, and to have
opportunities for a generalist approach to enhance skills without over-reliance on extensive specializations were recognized.
Students left the trip with a better understanding of the dynamic nature of health care on PEI. Despite being smaller in geography
and population, medical practice on PEI is large in personalized patient care and a welcoming community atmosphere!
8 THE PULSE - FALL 2011 Medical Society of PEI
In response to The Guardian article,
“P.E.I. wants more medical students to
practice on the Island” (January 21,
2012): the province is very concerned
about having Island medical students
return home to P.E.I. to begin their
careers as physicians, and ideally, to
stay there. It seems that the province
rarely, if ever, acknowledges the many
Island students who get their medical
educations at universities outside of
Canada.
I am an Islander. I am also a 3rd
year medical student; I chose to get
my medical education at St. George’s
University (SGU) – I completed my first
two years of medical school on the
Windward Island of Grenada, and
now I am spending my 3rd and 4th
years doing clinical training in differ-
ent hospitals around the U.S. As many
folks know, an increasing amount of
students (in Canada, the U.S., and else-
where) are choosing to get their medi-
cal educations at Caribbean medical
schools. I can speak for my school in
saying that we receive high quality
educations and diverse experiences,
score well on national board exams,
and graduate with fully accredited
MD degrees (St. George’s University is
not new to this scene – the School of
Medicine was established in 1976).
At SGU, we are fortunate to have
a very active Canadian Medical Stu-
dents Association, whose main pur-
pose is to make connections with Ca-
nadian residency program directors
and the Canadian Resident Match-
ing Service (CaRMS), to let them know
about the large population of Cana-
dian medical students at SGU who
want to come to Canada for training
opportunities and to practice.
Every year, the Executive Director of
the Canadian Match program comes to
our campus in Grenada to speak with
the Canadian students about how we
can optimize our chances of “coming
home.” She provides us with a realistic
picture of our chances of being able to
get residencies in Canada. Nearly every
time, students leave this talk feeling
discouraged. As International Medi-
cal Graduates (IMGs) we are lumped
in with every other foreign medical stu-
dent and graduate looking to come to
Canada. We aren’t considered as Ca-
nadians who would like to come back
to our country to help fill the growing
need for health care practitioners.
I chose to go to medical school so
I could work in primary care (Family
Medicine particularly), and fill an area
of need in society. I chose to go to SGU
for my education, and I’m happy about
that decision. Family medicine is the
cornerstone of health care in Canada.
This is unfortunately not the same view
that is held in the U.S., where all too
often, Family Medicine is seen as a field
that gets “all the leftovers,” so to speak.
For this rather important reason, many
of my colleagues and I hope to do our
post-graduate training in Canada. As
4th year quickly approaches, we are
in the midst of researching residency
programs and deciding where we
may want to begin our careers as phy-
sicians. Lately, I have been seeing an
Island born IMG’s, an untapped resourceI am an Islander. I am also a 3rd year medical student; I chose to get my medical education at St. George’s University
increasing amount of students losing
hope, and deciding that the chance of
getting a residency in Canada may be
too slim to make it worth entering the
Canadian match. Why would anyone
want to go somewhere where they feel
unwelcome?
The heart of the issue that brought
out the aforementioned article in
The Guardian is that of encourag-
ing Island medical students to return
home to P.E.I. to begin their careers as
physicians, and ideally, to stay there
to practice. I believe that Island stu-
dents attending medical schools out-
side of Canada are a great, untapped
resource. Health minister Currie and
the province could easily tap into this
resource if they would only recognize
us as existing, and acknowledge us as
a subdivision of the larger category of
“IMGs.”
Ways of persuading medical stu-
dents to practice in PEI could include
more opportunities for training (clini-
cal rotations and post-graduate), and
encouraging students to join profes-
sional groups like MSPEI to enhance
networking and allow the province to
have a better picture of where Island
students are getting their medical ed-
ucations. I hope that in the province’s
upcoming “Physician Resource Plan”
there can be some mention of IMGs
from P.E.I. We are Islanders, we are
IMGs, and we want to practice in P.E.I.;
we just want to feel welcome home.
Shami Hariharan, (MS III, St. George’s University)
Mandatory return of services will work, but they won’t work well, or in the way we need them to. As a 3rd year medical student, I certainly remember the stress of the application process, and I (like most applicants) would have been willing to accept all sorts of restrictions in order to get one of those elusive spots. If you had told me that I needed to work on PEI for a few years in order to get it, I would have said yes, and I bet that most young applicants would have agreed.
But...
I’m now planning on coming back to PEI to work. This was a decision I made after a few years leaving the Island, in which I remembered all of the reasons I loved it, and wanted to stay. If all goes well, I’ll come back to PEI, and dedicate 30ish years of service into the Island health care system. I’ll learn the idiosyncracities of our people, our system, our unique health problems, and hopefully help to find some solutions to those problems. I’ll do it willingly and put my full effort into it.
In contrast, forcing people to come back will certainly fill the spots, but it’ll fill them with people who are young, inexperienced, here for only a short time, and who may well be slightly resentful of the fact that they have to stay. You’ll have family docs, but not ones who know all of their patients in and out. You’ll have specialists, but not ones who have honed their clinical experience with years of practice. You’ll have a rotating cast of new faces, many of whom may well be itching to leave as soon as their term of service is over.
Its a solution, but it may not be the one we need. PEI is going to be uniquely attractive as a place to work and live in the future - many of my own classmates who are not Islanders are itching to work here, simply because its such a good place to live, to raise a family, to grow old and whatnot. Rather than force home grown talent to stick around here if they don’t want to, we may be better off trying to attract talent from wherever we can, home grown or not. We should be trying to convince people to create a life here, and spent a career here, rather than a few cranky years while they’re still wet behind the ears.
Keith Baglole, Dalhousie Med 3
Weighing In
Medical Society of PEI THE PULSE - FALL 2011 9
MEDICAL SOCIETY’S
HOLIDAY RECEPTION
It’s becoming synonymous with holiday fun, the Annual Holiday Reception, once again welcomed Island medical student home for an evening of networking - and a healthy dose of partying - cour-tesy, Bad Habits, who proved me-dicinal in alleviating holiday stress!
Thanks to TD Meloche Monnex, OMA Insurance, MD Financial, Health PEI and MSPEI staff for join-ing forces for this holiday tradition.
10 THE PULSE - FALL 2011 Medical Society of PEI
Doctors, like the general public, have their own personal beliefs on abortion. The Medical Society of PEI, a provincial association whose mandate is to represent the province’s physicians, and to advocate for high standards of health and healthcare for Islanders, to date, has elected to provide information versus commenting via spokesperson on the provision of abortion services in PEI. Some have questioned why. As President of the Society, I would like to explain the rationale behind this decision.
Even though the current debate is suppose to be specific to access to abortion services in PEI, predictably and perhaps understandably,
the mere mention of the “A” word polarizes groups and yes, that includes doctors. It must be stated that to achieve consensus on the issue of abortion within any group is impossible and invariably divisive.
Instead, the Medical Society directed media outlets to the policy of its national organization, the Canadian Medical Association (CMA), on induced abortion. MSPEI endorses this policy which acknowledges that although abortion is a legal medical procedure, no physician is obliged to recommend or perform the procedure. However, personal beliefs must not affect the health and safety of a woman seeking an abortion by delaying
access to the procedure since the risks of complications of induced abortion are lowest in early pregnancy.
The following excerpts from the CMA policy offer guidelines to physicians:
A physician whose moral or religious beliefs prevent him or her from recommending or performing an abortion should inform the patient of this so that she may consult another physician.
No discrimination should be directed against doctors who do not perform or assist at induced abortions. Respect for the right of personal decision in this area must be stressed, particularly for doctors training in obstetrics
and gynaecology, and anaesthesia.
No discrimination should he directed against doctors who provide abortion services.Irrespective of personal beliefs, the Medical Society recognizes that all doctors must be fully aware of their obligation to their patients. As such, the Medical Society will circulate information provided by Health PEI to all practicing physicians on referral and access to abortion services as well as the complete CMA policy, Induced Abortion, as to the rights of patients and the rights of doctors.
Submitted to the GuardianDr. Rachel Kassner, President
MSPEI:Abortion
INDUCED ABORTIONThe CMA’s position on induced abortion is as follows:
• Induced abortion is the active termination of a pregnancy before fetal viability.• The decision to perform an induced abortion is a medical one, made confidentially between the
patient and her physician within the confines of existing Canadian law. The decision is madeafter conscientious examination of all other options.
• Induced abortion requires medical and surgical expertise and is a medical act. It should beperformed only in a facility that meets approved medical standards, not necessarily a hospital.
Induced abortion, as interpreted by the CMA, is the active termination of a pregnancy before fetal viability. In this context viability is the ability of the fetus to survive independently of the maternal environment. According to current medical knowledge viability is dependent on fetal weight, degree of development and length of gestation; extrauterine viability may be possible if the fetus weighs over 500 g or is past 20 weeks’ gestation, or both (Gestation begins at conception).In January 1988 the Supreme Court of Canada struck down section 251 of the Criminal Code of Canada. The CMA’s position is that there is no need for this section to be replaced.
The following are the CMA’s positions in other matters related to induced abortion.
• Induced abortion should not be used as analternative to contraception.• Counselling services, family planningservices and information on contraceptionmust be readily available to all Canadians. • The provision of advice and information on family planning and human sexuality is the responsibility of practising physicians; however, educational institutes and health care agencies must share this responsibility.• The patient should be provided with the option of full and immediate counselling services in the event of unwanted pregnancy.• Since the risks of complications of induced abortion are lowest in early pregnancy, early diagnosis of pregnancy and determination of appropriate management should be encouraged.• There should be no delay in the provision of abortion services.
• A physician should not be compelled to participate in the termination of a pregnancy.• No patient should be compelled to have a pregnancy terminated.• A physician whose moral or religiousbeliefs prevent him or her from recommending or performing an abortion should inform the patient of this so that she may consult another physician.• No discrimination should be directed against doctors who do not perform or assist at induced abortions. Respect for the right of personal decision in this area must be stressed, particularly for doctors training in obstetrics and gynecology, and anesthesia.• No discrimination should he directed against doctors who provide abortion services.• Abortion services should meet specific standards in the areas of counselling, informed choice, medical and surgical procedures, nursing and follow-up care.• Induced abortion should be uniformly available to all women in Canada.• Health care insurance should cover all the costs of providing all medically required services relating to abortion including counselling.
The CMA stresses the importance of considering fetal viability when active termination of a pregnancy is being discussed by a patient and her doctor. It must be remembered that when the fetus has reached the stage where it is capable of an independent existence, termination of pregnancy may result in the delivery of a viable fetus. Elective termination of pregnancy after fetal viability may be indicated under exceptional circumstances.
MSPEI members and their guest are invited to play in the annual Medical Student Bursary GOLF TOURNAMENT, Saturday June 23 at Rodd Mill River Resort.
Not at the top of your game.... just a beginner? That’s okay. Actually, that’s ideal because regardless of ability, with a fair mix of team players and “Best Ball” format for friendly competition,
this may just be the most golfing fun you’ll experience all season! Golfing‘s not your thing?
That’s okay too because all members are welcome to take in CME in the morning and of course stay to enjoy the annual Lobster Smorgasbord – details to follow!
NOTE: This annual MSPEI social event is free, however, please remember the event is a fund raiser for the Medical Student Bursary and donations are appreciated!
