Tell Your MPP to Invest in Anesthesia Human Resources

Use this button to quickly contact your MPP and tell them that now is the time to better fund anesthesia in our province!

In October 2024, negotiations started around allocating the funding awarded for Year 1 of the 2024-28 physician services agreement. This is our opportunity to help secure much needed funds to address Ontario’s growing challenges with anesthesia human resource.

We need you to tell your member of provincial parliament to demand that some of that funding be specifically directed to anesthesia human resources. Canada is facing a growing shortage of anesthesiologists, physicians who are vital to not just operating rooms but also intensive care units, labour and delivery wards and pain clinics. If Ontario wants to attract much-needed talent, as well as keep its existing anesthesiologists, we need more funding.

To help you share these facts with your MPP, we’ve crafted a message that you can quickly and easily send to your MPP (it’ll will even find your MPP’s email address). The email is customizable and we encourage you to personalize the message with your experiences that showcase why this funding is needed (and if you’re a health-care worker, please note that). Since negotiations are taking place throughout the end of 2024 we encourage you to email your MPP as soon as possible

Thank you for supporting health care in Ontario!

Alternatively, copy, paste, and email the following message to your MPP

Suggested Subject Line: Invest in Anesthesia Human Resources

Dear (Mr./Ms. Last Name of Your Name/If your MPP is a cabinet minister, please address your MPP as “Minister”),

I am a constituent in your riding and I’m writing to you today to encourage the Ontario government to invest in our province’s anesthesia human resources.

As you know, an arbitration award for year 1 of the 2024-28 physician services agreement was recently announced. Negotiations on the specifics of how that funding will be directed are now taking place. This is a critical opportunity to address the province’s growing shortage of anesthesia human resources, a situation recognized by the Ministry of Health, and one that is contributing to lengthy surgical wait times, hallway medicine and growing dissatisfaction with health care in Ontario. 

Specifically, I believe that investments should be made by:

  • Increasing OHIP anesthesia fees to increase recruitment and retention

  • Committing to sustained and universal support and funding for anesthesiologists leading and supervising Anesthesia Care Team

Health care is consistently one of the top concerns of Ontario voters like myself. By increasing investment in anesthesia human resources, Ontario residents will directly see improved access to much-needed surgical care. Anesthesiologists look after all age groups from children to the elderly and shortages in anesthesia affect the whole community in all walks of life.

Statistically, we know that many graduating anesthesiologists are choosing to practice in other provinces and in non-OHIP-related work. This is the result of a gradual erosion of physician fees to inflationary changes where OHIP has not kept pace with Ontario’s rising cost of living. Fee increases are essential to keep anesthesiologists from exiting the province and continuing to work in our public system.

Without this funding, Ontario will continue to see long surgical wait times. Delays in care can result in long-term implications for Ontario residents and can change our outcomes for cancer, return to work/school and quality of life.

Investing in anesthesia will also have positive impacts outside of operating rooms. Anesthesiologists work in critical care units, on labour and delivery floors and are the experts in acute and chronic pain management. The growing shortage will affect these areas and more, impacting more patients and communities. 

If you would like to learn more about why Ontario needs to improve funding for anesthesia human resources, please reach out to Ontario’s Anesthesiologists, the organization that represents this profession in our province: info@ontariosanesthesiologists.ca

Thank you for your time, 
(Your Name & Location)