The need for greater physician advocacy in the 21st century

MEDIA RELEASE

For immediate use

Wednesday 4 January 2016

The need for greater physician advocacy in the 21st century

“Senior doctors naturally advocate for their patients as part of providing quality health care but there are interesting questions to consider about what form this advocacy should take and how far it should go,” says Ian Powell, Executive Director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists (ASMS).

He described as timely an article on this issue in the latest ASMS magazine, The Specialist (http://www.asms.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/11296-The-Specialist-Issue-WEB.pdf). The article was written by Associate Professor Phil Bagshaw, who also chairs the Canterbury Charity Hospital Trust and spoke on this topic at the recent ASMS Annual Conference in Wellington.

“He’s one of this country’s leading proponents on active advocacy by senior doctors and other health professionals in the face of high levels of unmet health needs and continual belt-tightening within public hospitals,” says Mr Powell. “He argues very eloquently for a much greater level of physician advocacy, which I’m sure will resonate with many doctors and stimulate some thinking and discussion among others.”

In the article, Phil Bagshaw writes that the history of physician advocacy has much to teach the doctors of today, and is as relevant as ever in the current constrained environment.

“This century, most Western governments have come to the erroneous conclusions that health costs are running out of control and can only be managed by a process of rationing of elective health care services,” he says.

“Governments have also closed their eyes, ears and minds to the consequences of increasing levels of unmet health need in society, and to the growing body of evidence that investing in health care pays large fiscal dividends.”

He urged senior doctors, and the professional organisations representing them, to actively advocate for patients’ health and safety.

“Patients want us to be their champions and to fight publicly and effectively for their right to health care. Who else, they believe, is as well placed as we are to do so? It is undoubtedly a privilege to represent them in this way.”

ENDS

© Scoop Media