It was with surprise and disappointment that I read the commentary by Carolyn Bennett,1 the minister of state for public health. The mandate of Canada's new Public Health Agency is to improve Canada's ability to deal with new and emerging infectious diseases and to improve our nation's emergency preparedness. Presumably, Bennett believes there may be some small role for Canada's emergency departments in meeting this challenge. If so, she will need to spend some time reversing the effects of a decade of neglect on Canada's emergency health system.
Recent reviews have highlighted concerns about the ability of Canadian emergency departments to respond to emerging infectious diseases and terrorist attacks.2,3 Indeed, current conditions in our nation's emergency departments profoundly affect their ability to provide timely care for even routine emergencies, let alone a national public health emergency.
Many of our emergency departments suffer from a lack of operational support, are insufficiently staffed, are chronically overcrowded and have no recognizable regional response plans. It would not be unreasonable to suggest that these problems are directly attributable to insufficient government attention. Rather than being members of the “tyranny of the acute,” most emergency physicians might more readily see themselves as oppressed victims of government neglect.
Good for Bennett for addressing the deficiencies of the national public health system. However, if she is truly concerned with our preparedness to meet national health emergencies, she must spend some time reversing the chronic neglect of Canada's emergency departments.
Alan Drummond Chair, Public Affairs Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians Ottawa, Ont.
References
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