Dear
Colleagues,
I would like to ask your continued support
as your Director on the Board of the OMA. I
started as a representative of the
Kitchener-Waterloo Academy of Medicine in 1987,
and later served as Secretary and Chair of
District 3. I have enjoyed the support and
confidence of the OMA Board as your
representative since 2000. The Board elected me
to some influential committees including the
Budget Committee and Chair of the Primary Care
Delivery Models Committee. This involvement with
the OMA at council, on the Board and on
committees has allowed me to actively represent
the interests of the Doctors in District 3. The time I have
spent as a representative has not diminished my
commitment and enthusiasm to improve the working
conditions of Doctors against an increasingly
oppressive government. There are groups and
individuals who are critical of the OMA. I have
been and continue to be critical of the OMA. I
have lobbied for a more aggressive approach with
government and more direct messaging to the
public. The OMA corporate structure is often slow
to change but I am committed to work to transform
the organization. Some outside organizations have
suggested separating Family Doctors from
Specialists and the breaking up of the OMA, but I
strongly believe that the profession needs a
strong united front to fight an aggressive and
powerful Ministry of Health.
As an OMA
Director I have been able to advise and help many
local physicians and groups to get their issues
heard and resolved at the OMA and with the
government. Local Pediatricians asked me for help
with the issue of the Medical Specific Assessment
and Reassessment. I was able to help facilitate a
presentation at the OMA Board, referral to the
PSC and implementation by the MOHLTC. I have
worked with local doctors to deal with issues
related to rural CME, locums and contract
disputes. I have always enjoyed being a resource
and an advocate for issues in our District. With
contact talks ongoing we need to aggressively
support the negotiating team to get the
substantial improvements the profession needs to
prevent a crisis.
I have
been a Family Doctor in Elmira for 22 years and
still deliver babies, have active hospital
privileges, visit nursing homes and make house
calls. The challenges facing Doctors in small
towns and rural areas are familiar to me. Making
daily rounds at the hospitals in Kitchener has
given me an appreciation of the challenges facing
doctors working in city hospitals.
I also
have a home life; my wife is a lawyer and we have
three children. We have a 20 year old autistic
son at home, a 19 year old son at U of T and a 15
year old daughter in high school. I am an avid
skier and have met some of you on Academy ski
trips I have organized over the years. I enjoy
golfing and have organized the Academy Golf
Tournament in Elmira for many years.
I hope you
will take the time to complete your ballot and
continue to support my efforts on your behalf.
For more information visit my web site at www.drjohncraig.com.
Dr. John Craig, Elmira
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