Policy Database

Our 2009 policy paper, Stepping Forward: Improving Addiction Care in British Columbia, outlined Doctors of BC’s position on substance use care. While many of the calls to action in that paper still apply, the substance use landscape has shifted dramatically since 2009. Widespread access to quality care remains limited, and health outcomes for harmful substance use continue to deteriorate. As such, this paper builds on our 2009 policy paper and expands on its recommendations to build a better substance use system of care that reduces stigma, prevents, or minimizes substance use harms, and enables all British Columbians to access the care and services they need when and where they need it.

For over a decade, Doctors of BC has supported introducing Physicians Assistants (PAs) as a way to extend physician services and meet increasing patient needs. We are pleased government is welcoming PAs into emergency departments in order to address ongoing capacity challenges. As evidence suggests that PAs can be effective in a range of other health care settings, we will continue to advocate for PAs to be recognized as registered health professionals who are able to work in all health care settings.   

Doctors of BC recognizes that gender inequity is a societal issue that affects female physicians negatively in areas like income, career advancement, mental health, and job satisfaction. We commit to taking action on this issue by tracking gender representation in the association, supporting efforts to address the gender pay gap, applying GBA+ in decision-making, reviewing parental leave benefits, and helping members access resources mentorship and leadership opportunities. Doctors of BC recommends that government, physician employers, and medical schools take similar actions to identify, resolve, and prevent gender inequity and address issues of bias and discrimination in the workplace and medical training.

Doctors of BC Position: Doctors of BC recognizes the surgical care challenges in BC, including growing wait lists, surgical wait-times, and the shortage of health care staff and the additional burdens on surgeons, anesthesiologists, and other health care providers. To address these concerns, Doctors of BC calls on the BC Ministry of Health and health authorities to meaningfully engage and collaborate with physicians at various levels to ensure surgical plans are appropriate; implement strategies to recruit and retain health care staff; provide physicians with the necessary resources and infrastructure to deliver quality patient care; and, increase transparency related to wait-list data.

Doctors of BC acknowledges the severe impact of the drug toxicity crisis and calls for a multi-pronged, coordinated approach to address the ongoing public health emergency in BC. To address this issue, Doctors of BC recommends enhancing coordination and improving access to community-based, culturally appropriate, and evidence-informed substance use prevention, harm reduction, and treatment programs and services. Additionally, Doctors of BC recommends supporting physicians who wish to participate in the provision of safer pharmaceutical alternatives, evaluating the impact of decriminalization and expanding engagement with doctors to receive input into the development, implementation, and evaluation of substance use programs and services.

Doctors of BC Position: Virtual care is the use of electronic means to reduce or replace face-to-face clinical interaction. It includes telemedicine, e-mail communication, and remote patient monitoring. Doctors of BC recommends that doctors have discretion over when to use virtual care, leveraging virtual care technologies to improve patient care, supporting doctors with the necessary resources for virtual care and developing virtual care guidelines.

Doctors of BC Position: Doctors of BC recognizes the significant impact climate change has on human health and the need for everyone to work to reduce the rate at which climate change occurs. As such, Doctors of BC policy supports climate change prevention, mitigation and adaption measures. This includes reducing greenhouse gas emissions across the health care system, identifying the potential impacts of climate change through physician training and health impact assessments to maximize potential health benefits and reduce risks. Watch this animated video for an overview of our policy.

Doctors of BC Position: Physicians are faced with a growing number of demands that can lead to unmanageable time constraints and expectations to deliver beyond what can be reasonably expected in a single day. Doctors of BC encourages all health care stakeholders to carefully consider how any new ask or proposed change may ripple through the health care system to impact quality and accessibility of care and physician workflow using a ‘cumulative impact lens’ prior to implementation.

Doctors of BC Position: Doctors of BC recognizes obesity to be a chronic medical disease requiring enhanced research, treatment, and prevention efforts.