Pandemic Pay for Resident Doctors as Essential Frontline Workers
The Canadian Medical Forum (CMF) brings together leaders of Canada’s major national medical organizations to discuss issues of priority to physicians, their patients, and the
Canadian healthcare system. We are writing today on behalf of the undersigned members of the Canadian medical forum, in support of the 14,000 resident doctors working on the
frontline of our healthcare system from coast to coast.
In some jurisdictions, provinces are implementing policies to provide ‘pandemic pay’ to essential frontline workers. Resident doctors are either not being included in the list of essential frontline workers eligible for this benefit or are being treated differently such that they do not receive the full benefit. It is profoundly demoralizing for these young doctors not to be treated in the same manner as all other essential frontline healthcare team members and it is imperative that the extremely valuable work that resident doctors provide in caring for patients, be acknowledged.
The CMF and its members urge those provincial and territorial governments and all Ministries of Health that are providing pandemic pay, to collectively acknowledge our most junior doctors who are working so hard in our hospitals, communities and long term care institutions, caring for patients, and:
- Include resident doctors on the list of professionals eligible for pandemic pay at the frontlines of COVID-19 and in any future initiatives aimed at supporting essential
frontline workers.
Residents Doctors are:
- Fully qualified medical doctors who are in 2-7 year training programs to become certified specialists by either the College of Family Physicians of Canada or the Royal
College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. - Healthcare employees who are often the only doctors overnight and on weekends in the hospitals where they work, and/ or are on call for community practice and long
term care. - Working over 80 hours per week to care for their patients with many resident doctors redeployed to provide care to COVID patients since March 12.
While the Canadian Medical Forum does not set or seek to set standards of care, we do, however, strive to inform Canada’s leaders when actions are needed to positively impact
physicians, their patients, and the Canadian healthcare system. The response of federal, provincial and territorial governments and health agencies to the COVID-19 crisis has been
admirable. We commend these organizations for working to ensure health professionals have the information, tools, and resources they need to identify, report and manage potential and confirmed cases of COVID-19. The cooperation of the various organizations is a testament to their commitment to deliver safe medical care for Canadians and help mitigate the consequences of the current pandemic.
We call on those governments providing pandemic pay to include resident doctors on the list of professionals eligible for pandemic pay at the frontlines of COVID-19 and in any future initiatives aimed at supporting essential frontline workers.
Respectfully,
| Cecil Rorabek, O.C., MD Chair, Canadian Medical Forum |
Geneviève Moineau, MD, FRCPC President and CEO Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada |
| David Anderson, MD, FRCPC, FACP Dean, Dalhousie University Chair, AFMC Board of Directors |
Victor Do President Canadian Federation of Medical Students 2019-2020 |
| Sandy Buchman, MD CCFP (PC) FCFP President, Canadian Medical Association |
Francine Lemire, MD CM, CCFP, FCFP, CAE Executive Director & Chief Executive Officer College of Family Physicians of Canada |
| Shirley Schipper, MD, CCFP, FCFP President College of Family Physicians of Canada |
Maxime Morin-Lavoie Président Fédération médicale étudiante du Québec |
| Emily Stewart, MD President Resident Doctors of Canada |
Maureen Topps, MB ChB, FCFP, MBA, FRCPC (Hon) Executive Director & CEO Medical Council of Canada |
| Jay Rosenfield, MD, MEd, FRCPC President Medical Council of Canada |
Susan Moffat-Bruce, MD, PhD, MBA, FACS, FRCSC Chief Executive Officer Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada |
| M. Ian Bowmer, MDCM, FRCPC, FRCP, FCAHS President Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada |
Margaret Tromp, MD, CCFP, FCFP, FRRMS President Society of Rural Physicians of Canada |
| Paul-Émile Cloutier President and CEO HealthCareCAN |
