With the fall season approaching, advocacy is top of mind for the Canadian Association of Radiologists (CAR). The CAR has been diligently focusing our efforts on advocacy in preparation for the return of parliament and the federal economic update. Not only have we been targeting the Federal Government, but also connecting with key stakeholders to ensure we are consistent with our messaging and approach. On August 3rd, we will submit our 2025 Pre-Budget Submission to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance. The theme for this report is focused on Better Access to Medical Imaging.
Wait lists are getting longer. Burnout is on the rise. Vacancy rates for technologists are rising. As our members are aware, access to medical imaging has reached crisis levels. A lack of new equipment across the country, is making a bad situation worse. Patients are still waiting an exorbitant amount of time to access medical imaging. This is having a profound impact on the diagnosis and management of diseases for Canadians.
To address these challenges the CAR, in consultation with the Canadian Association of Medical Radiation Technologists and Sonography Canada, have put forward the following recommendations to help increase capacity within medical imaging, thus enabling our healthcare system to better care for patients:
“Advocacy is about being heard more, seen more, and better understood. The CAR Board is working persistently to represent the radiology community and demonstrate the significant impact on patients due to extraordinary wait-times for medical imaging. We need to address the extreme shortage of the radiology workforce, invest in equipment, and implement innovative solutions so that patients do not continue to suffer due to the limitations within our radiology departments and clinics.”– Dr. Ania Kielar, CAR President
The CAR is optimistic about the opportunity to appear before the Standing Committee on Finance and will use this submission as the backbone of our messaging when meeting with MPs on October 29 during our Annual Day on the Hill. Radiology representatives will meet with political leaders on Parliament Hill to convey the urgency to invest in radiology. As part of the day’s programming, the CAR will host a technology showcase so that officials can have firsthand experience with radiology services.
While we did have success in early 2023 with the Federal Minister of Health’s announcement of $2 billion in new funding to address the backlogs including diagnostics and allocation of provincial funding through the 2024 bilateral provincial agreements, additional investments are needed. Our approach is to appeal to the government to repurpose some of the current additional funding within Health Canada . We have been in correspondence with the Minister of Health’s Office, the Ministry of Innovation Science and Economic Development and Health Canada’s Medical Devices Directorate regarding the recommendations listed above and will continue to strive for additional investments to be targeted to radiology health human resources, supporting the establishment of HAIVN, leadership in Clinical Decision Support systems and new medical imaging equipment. We will also ask the Federal Government to take a national role in the implementation of new technologies, such as AI, that will enhance radiology care in Canada.
The CAR has also been engaged with the Minister of Health’s office on the draft guidelines on breast imaging recommended by the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care. While we do recommend screening at age 40, we recognize that there are significant HHR challenges, which make it challenging to achieve this. If there were to be a national systematic change to reduce the age of breast screening to women 40 years of age, it is imperative that the Federal government invest in HHR and technology to ensure we can meet the increasing demand.
To learn more about the CAR’s advocacy initiatives, visit car.ca or contact [email protected].