OTTAWA — Public health units were stretched and Canadians lost confidence in their governments during the H1N1 pandemic, says a report released Thursday on the challenges physicians faced during last year's worldwide flu outbreak.
"The H1N1 influenza pandemic strained public health resources and primary care providers alike," said Matthew Hodge, president of the National Specialty Society of Community Medicine. "Preparing for the future means we must strengthen the relationship of these critical frontline workers."
More than 80,000 physicians from Hodge's organization, the Canadian Medical Association and the College of Family Physicians of Canada worked together on the report, which describes issues front-line workers encountered.
It says public expectations exceeded resources and a scarcity of important information and vaccine during the crisis led to loss of confidence in the federal and provincial governments.
The physicians say a "harmonized, singular national clinical response" must be implemented when the country faces another public health crisis and that vaccination programs must be improved.
The report recommends a pan-Canadian communications strategy to better link primary health-care and public-health workers, rapid adoption of electronic medical records to enhance surveillance and infrastructure funding to provide a standard level of preparedness across the country.
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