An internal report by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada is proposing a new model that would put the focus on social justice before medical expertise as part of a “vision for the future of medicine.”
The report claims that the health-care system perpetuates “structural violence” on marginalized people.
“A new model of CanMEDS would seek to centre values such as anti-oppression, anti-racism, and social justice rather than medical expertise,” it says.
The new requirements, dubbed CanMEDS 2025, is a project to overhaul the organization’s physician competency framework to “support the goals of anti-racism and anti-oppression” and “support the goal of equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility.”
The website also says the goal of the project is to “respond to current societal needs and those expected in the next 10 years.”
Dr. Goel’s report notes that competencies can be re-organized and modified to “feature the teaching of critical reflection and self-reflexivity,” and would also instruct medical professionals on equality and advocacy so they can “more effectively engage in community-led social change.”
“Such a model of CanMEDS would allow medical schools to appropriately embed and infuse lenses of social justice, anti-oppression, advocacy and equity throughout their teaching, and thereby teach future physicians how to incorporate such thinking into all of their clinical, teaching and research work,” the report says.
Jeffrey Flier, the former dean of Harvard Medical School, criticized the report on social media.
Dr. David Jacobs, president of the Ontario Association of Radiologists who initially posted the report, called the proposal “bonkers.”
“There is a proposal from the EDI [Equity, Diversity, Inclusion] group to prioritize social justice over medical expertise. This is bonkers,” he wrote.
The report offers a definition of anti-racism, saying it “sheds light on the structures of racism rooted in the justification of colonialism, slavery, and white supremacy” and seeks to overcome “racially inequitable outcomes,” and “power imbalances.”
The report says CanMEDS 2025 aims to promote “a broader cultural shift which is necessary for the profession.”
Regulatory Body Challenges
The report comes after several provincial regulatory bodies have undertaken disciplinary action against medical professionals, including doctors and nurses who spoke out against COVID-19 vaccines, public health orders, and gender issues.B.C. Nurse Amy Hamm is going through a disciplinary hearing process at the British Columbia College of Nurses and Midwives (BCCNM) for online comments she made on gender issues.
She said that regulators have been attempting to control what professionals are allowed to say or believe, particularly about social and political issues.
“This will put a chill on debate and discussion outside of only a narrow range of permissible views,” Ms. Bildy said. “An enforced consensus, where professionals who disagree keep silent for fear of losing their livelihoods, cannot be in the public interest. This is especially so in matters of science and public policy, where stifling debate prevents both science and democracy from functioning as intended.”
