Dr Anne Doig wins Saskatchewan nomination to be next CMA president

I just got off the phone with Dr Anne Doig, who today was elected the Saskatchewan Medical Association's nominee to be the next Canadian Medical Association president.

Voting in the election ended last night and counting was completed today. Dr Doig, a family physician and the only woman of the seven candidates, won on the fourth ballot.

The first thing she said to me was, "I'm relieved the process is over." But she quickly qualified that. "Obviously I'm very pleased that this is the outcome."

In our interview, we talked about her six children, her passion for competitive swimming and her days as a grain farmer. We also spoke about her thoughts on wait times guarantees, her opinion on the appropriate role of the private sector in healthcare delivery -- a topic about which she sounded less interested than current CMA president Brian Day and current president-elect Robert Ouellet -- and her physician father's role in the 1962 Medicare Crisis in Saskatchewan, in which many doctors went on strike to protest the advent of a universal healthcare system.

My Q&A with Dr Doig will appear in print in the next issue of the National Review of Medicine.

You can read what she wrote for the SMA's election package last fall here (PDF) or by simply clicking READ MORE:

A few weeks ago, the SMA called for nominations for Saskatchewan’s candidate for President-Elect of the CMA. Several of my colleagues did me the honour of asking me to stand for nomination. Their confidence in me is deeply humbling, and I am grateful for their trust.

For more years than I care to admit, I have been a strong supporter of our collegial organization. As a small child and a new immigrant to Saskatchewan, I watched as my father and his colleagues fought the political battles for preservation of the doctor-patient relationship during the lead up to the Medicare “crisis” in 1962. The crux of that battle was not opposition to a publicly funded (or insured) system of medical care. Rather, physicians fought vigorously to defend the patient’s right to appropriate medical care, independent from the influence of government’s fiscal policies. 45 years later, little has changed.

As a practising family physician for the past 30 years, I am committed above all to the ethical principle of putting patients first. This commitment to patients drives my interest and involvement in organized medical representation. I believe that Canada’s physicians are best fitted to advocate for high quality care for Canadians. If we surrender our advocacy position to others, whether health professionals, business interests, or politicians, it is our patients who will suffer. We must remain the authoritative voice that speaks for the patient first. Moreover, our voices must be loudest for those who cannot speak for themselves—our poor, our children, and our elderly.

A recent Ipsos-Reid poll suggested that the level of public confidence in the medical profession is directly proportional to patients having reasonable access to a personal family physician, reasonable wait times to see their primary physician, and appropriate amounts of time spent with their physician in an appointment. In the political climate of today, all physicians but in particular family physicians, have suffered infringements on their care. Managing surgical wait times has received particular attention, but a larger challenge, and one that is fundamental to the long term sustainability of a public system of medical care, is appropriate, timely access to the skills and services of competent family and specialist physicians.

At a recent meeting of the Western Conference of the SMA, AMA, BCMA, and MMA, Dr. Lyle Oberg, a physician and Minister of Finance for the province of Alberta, challenged those present to lead the changes that will be necessary in order to sustain our system of publicly funded health care. Dr. Oberg was unequivocal—the status quo is not sustainable. In every province, health care spending exceeds 40% of the provincial budget. Dr. Oberg challenged physicians to develop their own solutions to the looming crisis lest they become easy targets for solutions derived by others. Dr. Oberg’s message, however, was not one of physician self-interest, but rather the insistence that physicians must drive and direct the individual and systemic changes to sustain Canadian health care.

Current models of medical education teach young physicians to work in a collaborative, multi-disciplinary manner. Their skills and knowledge are critical in developing solutions to the present crisis. As the mother of six young adults, I am keenly aware of the skills that our young people possess, as well as their desire to achieve balance in their personal and professional lives. We must engage our young colleagues in both the internal and the public debates about medical care.

Physician self-regulation is integral to our ability to be effective, honest, and independent advocates for our patients. In Alberta, Bill 41, which has reached second reading in the provincial legislature, threatens the heart of physician self-regulation by permitting government to override the authority of the College of Physicians and Surgeons. In Saskatchewan, our College has enacted changes to its Bylaws that end independent collegial review of adverse events in prenatal and perinatal care and in anaesthetic and operative care. Such abrogation of our professional responsibility to be self-critical should be anathema to any thinking physician. We must remain leaders in quality and safety across the continuum of care.

In August of this year, the CMA published its Strategic Plan for the next five years. The strategic goal of a strong and effective CMA underpins the other four equal goals of a healthy population, healthy patients, a healthy profession, and healthy physicians. Those goals resonate strongly with my personal philosophy and commitment if chosen to represent our profession as Saskatchewan’s next President-Elect of the CMA.

And here's Dr Doig's CV:

Professional Qualifications:
MD, 1976. LMCC, 1977. CCFP, 1978. FCFP, 1994.

Medical Staff Appointment:
Active Staff, Saskatoon Regional Health Authority Practitioner Staff

Faculty Appointment:
Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences,
University of Saskatchewan

Medical Practice:
Family Physician, City Centre Family Physicians PC Inc., Saskatoon, continuously since 1978

Professional Memberships:
Saskatoon Regional Medical Staff Association; Saskatchewan Medical Association; Canadian Medical Association; College of Physician and Surgeons of Saskatchewan; Canadian Medical Protective Association; College of Family Physicians of Canada (including Section of Teachers), Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada; University of Saskatchewan College of Medicine Alumni Association; University of Alberta Health Law Institute; Canadian Association of Medical Education.

Current Appointments:
CMA: Chair, Committee on Bylaws.
SMA: Honorary Treasurer, Board of Directors; Chair, Finance Committee; Member, Board of
Directors; Member, Representative Assembly; Chair, Legislative Committee; Member, Member Advisory Committee; Member, Awards and Appointments Committee; Member, Medical Benevolent Society; Observer, Joint Medical Professional Review Committee. Former Speaker and Deputy Speaker of Representative Assembly. Saskatoon Regional Health Authority: Member, Midwifery Advisory Committee. University of Saskatchewan College of Medicine: Member, Undergraduate Curriculum Committee and Sub-committee on Assessment and Awards. Saskatchewan Cancer Agency: Medical Advisor, Population Health Division (Screening Program for Breast Cancer and Prevention Program for Cervical Cancer.)

Community Service:
Lay reader, Holy Spirit Roman Catholic Church, 1997-present. Member, Senior Choir, All Saints Anglican Church, 1963-1979 and 2004-present. Member, Advisory Panel, Heritage Scholarship Trust Fund, 1988-present. Level V (Master) Official, Swimming, 2004-present. Member, Legislative and Policy Committee, Swimming/Natation Canada, 2003-present. Chair, Governance Task Force, Swimming/Natation Canada, 2002-2003. Member, Board of Directors, Saskatchewan Blue Cross, 1995-2007. Past President, Member of Board of Directors, Swim Saskatchewan, Inc., 1994-2007. Past President, Member of Board of Directors, Saskatoon Goldfins Swim Club, 1991-1997. Baptismal Preparation for Infants; Catechesis of Children, Holy Spirit Roman Catholic Church, 1982-1993.

Awards and Achievements:
Saskatchewan Centennial Leadership Award, 2005; Sask Sport Volunteer Award, 2005; SNC
President’s Award, 2003; 17th Honorary Alumni Lecturer, U of S College of Medicine Alumni
Association, 2003; “Excellence in Teaching” Award, Association of Professors of Obstetrics and
Gynecology, 1996; Nominee, YWCA “Woman of the Year” (Business, Labour and the Professions) 1992; “Best Clinical Teacher in Family Medicine, 1989-1990” from the Housestaff of Saskatoon City Hospital.

Personal:
Married (Robert J. Cowan, P. Eng.). We have six adult children.

Photo: Saskatchewan Medical Association

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