Escalating shortage of lab professionals threatens patient care
Health professional’s group is sounding alarm bells in
advance of National Medical Laboratory Week
Ottawa (10 April 2008) – In the lead-up to National Medical Laboratory Week,
Canada’s largest organization of health science professionals is sounding
alarm bells that accessible and high quality patient care is threatened by
an escalating shortage of medical laboratory technologists across the
country.
“Most governments are in denial about the escalating shortage of medical
laboratory technologists,” says Elisabeth Ballermann, co-chair of the
Canadian Health Professionals Secretariat (CHPS). “They need to wake up and
take urgent action otherwise patient care in this country is going to be
seriously compromised.”
National Medical Laboratory Week is being celebrated April 13-19 across
Canada.
Medical laboratory professionals are an essential component of Canada’s
health care system. The results of medical laboratory tests provide crucial
information to doctors so that they can accurately diagnose, treat and
monitor patients. Moreover, the ability of the public health system to
detect an infectious disease outbreak and identify the cause depends on a
strong, well-functioning laboratory system.
In the early 1990s, most provincial governments reduced the number of
medical laboratory training programs, resulting in fewer technologists
graduating every year and producing the current level of shortages. Many
groups are warning that these shortages will escalate rapidly as large
numbers of older workers begin to retire. The Canadian Society for Medical
Laboratory Science (CSMLS) has warned that almost 50% of medical laboratory
technologists will retire in the next decade.
“The decrease in graduates means there is already a severe shortage,” says
Ballermann. “If you combine that with the predicted retirement rate it means
that our already-stretched laboratory system is going to face even more
pressure.”
The CHPS wants provincial and federal governments to develop a national
strategy and to put additional resources into attracting and retaining
medical laboratory technologists.
“The strategy must include more funding to create hundreds of new positions
in education programs and clinical training, and it must include a plan to
recruit people to fill those positions,” says Ballermann.
The CHPS is a national advocacy body that represents more than 60,000
unionized health science professionals who deliver the diagnostic, clinical
and rehabilitation services essential to timely and quality health care.
More information:
● Contact: Mike Luff (613) 228-9800
http://www.nupge.ca/news_2008/n10ap08c.htm
