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th ei fp .c a Th e IF P -H al to n H ill s | T hu rs da y, M ay 10 ,2 01 8 | 12 Senior patients looking after their spouses who are bed- bound. Patients who desperately need mental health support and are unable to get in to see spe- cialists. Patients who are going blind and can't get into the operating room for cataract surgery. These are some examples of the current failings of Ontario's health-care system that Dr. Na- dia Alam witnesses on a regular basis. And as Ontario Medical Association's new president, Alam says those are the types of issues that will begin to be ad- dressed this year. The OMA is still undergoing a policy negotiation and arbi- tration process with the provin- cial government, but after a year of looking inward, the OMA, under Alam's leadership, is focusing on heading health- system change, both in terms of primary care and home care. However, Alam notes, this is not a job that the OMA can do on its own. "Health-system change has to include more than just the OMA," she said. "The OMA is a heavy hitter, but we also need the (nurse rep- resentatives and front-line workers), as well as the govern- ment." Though she had a year to pre- pare for her new role, Alam said she felt the emotional magni- tude when beginning the posi- tion on April 30. "I am very aware of the re- sponsibility I now carry to speak truthfully and speak compassionately," Alam said. "I'm also aware of being a female president at the OMA and the fact that in this #MeToo cli- mate, what female physician leadership can look like to those who can follow, to the younger generation of female physicians who might want to step up and who I'm hoping will step up." Last year, the OMA conduct- ed an operational review of its organization, its roles and how well it serves its roles. Now, it is focusing on implementing the changes and recommendations that were a product of the re- view. In terms of primary care, Alam says the OMA will be fo- cusing on what patients expect, what patients need and what the OMA can deliver in that regard. The organization will also be concentrating on improving home care, a focus that the gov- ernment began to move toward with its Patients First Act, but one that requires much fine tuning, Alam said. "You have to keep coming back, and you have to keep working at the government, get- ting them to listen and say, 'The bottom line can't be the only fo- cus. Sometimes investing in things right now to beef them up pays off longer term in sav- ings,'" she said. Alam adds that the govern- ment should place a stronger fo- cus on patient outcomes in its legislation, because that is what matters most to patients. "I have such an interest in changing the health-care sys- tem, and that's the conversation that I want to encourage be- cause I see it already in differ- ent parts of the country and in various parts of the province, and people are saying, 'This isn't working,'" Alam said. "This is a system that was created back in the 1960s. It's not a sys- tem that's working for 2018 any- more, so I want to foster that conversation, and I want it to be thoughtful." Alam is an anesthetist and physician based in Georgetown. Despite her new role, her local practice is something she is not willing to let go of any time soon. Alam says she is still work- ing at the practice part time and has hired another physician to help keep it going over the next year while she focuses on her new role with the OMA. "Once I'm done presidency as of May 2019, I want to go back to being a doctor. I'll still continue all this health policy work that I'm interested in, but I love be- ing a doctor and I don't want to give it up," she said. "All the papers and research and fancy words aside, this is what I want to preserve and pro- tect. This doctor-patient rela- tionship." NEWS In her new role as OMA president, Georgetown family doctor is voice for change VERONICA APPIA vappia@metroland.com "I am very aware of the responsibility I now carry to speak truthfully and speak compassionately," Dr. Nadia Alam said, of her new role as OMA president. Artsy Click Photography/photo Reserve your Mother's Day Table Aristotles Steak & Seafood 6905 Millcreek Dr., Unit 2 Mississauga For Reservations, Call 905-858-1770 Lunch 11:30am - 3pm • Dinner 5pm - 11pm Sunday May 13th Brunch 11:30-3pm $4395perperson Inquire about our delicious Mother's Day Dinner Specials Dinner 4:30 - Close