Med student Lawrence Loh
finds traditional appetite for healthcare activism battles
indifference among fellow budding physicians.
"I don't like politics because
I have no faith in the masses," proclaims Ramesh Reddy,
a third-year medical student at the University of Western
Ontario. "The average voter is not aware of the issues;
they often care more about putting food on the table
and paying the mortgage." At least Mr Reddy has an opinion
— most of the med students I solicited for opinions
on the subject in a recent e-mail survey didn't even
bother to reply. Those who did were generally negative,
often lacking the slightest interest, let alone an inclination
to get involved in politics.
ACTIVISM:
SO PASSÉ?
It wasn't always so. Doctors have a long history of
political involvement, says Dr Carol Herbert, dean of
the Schulich School of Medicine at the University of
Western Ontario. "Physicians have been at the forefront
of policy changes such as anti-tobacco and seatbelt
legislation," she elaborated. "From medical education
planning, class sizes, and research funding, we've been
there."
Dr Herbert, a family physician
by training, has always stressed the importance of a
'fifth principle' of family medicine — medical
advocacy — which entails a thorough knowledge of
the complex relationship between physicians and politicians.
"We're a very diverse group, but
regardless of our backgrounds, physicians have historically
recognized that if we are not at the table for healthcare,
other voices will fill the vacuum. So we must be there
to influence policy, educate, and affect medical education,
healthcare delivery, and research."
She explains that this relationship
has not always been smooth. "There is definitely a gap
between the way physicians and politicians see the healthcare
system. Politicians have always viewed healthcare in
terms of an industrial model — this number of slots
needing to be filled by this number of physicians."
"Physicians, on the other hand,
try to tailor skills and location matches to optimize
performance," she continues. "The tone of the relationship
changes depending on the climate. We're in a time of
conflict now, particularly regarding contract negotiations."
YOUTH,
NOT SO TYPICAL
When asked about the up-and-coming generation of doctors,
Dr Herbert dismisses the suggestion that junior physicians
are opting out of the political game. "There will always
be those who aren't interested, but I think the proportion
of active and inactive people today is the same as it
was in my day."
These sentiments are echoed by
Erin Drever, a second year medical student, also at
the University of Western Ontario. "I have recently
heard classmates say that there's no place for political
awareness in medical school," she says. "Medical students
do not all need to be activists, but they should at
the very least care about the status of the public service
they provide and the policies that affect it."
Encouraging words from medicine's
more optimistic quarters, proving once again that you
just can't count on 'kids today' to do what's expected.
Maybe we won't disappoint our politically minded mentors
hoping to pass the mantle of advocacy at a time when
such watchdogs are perhaps most particularly needed.
Lawrence Loh is a (politically
active) third year med student at UWO and regional co-ordinator
for the International Federation of Medical Students'
Associations
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