What is MSPEI?
The Medical Society of PEI is a provincial Division of the Canadian Medical Association and, like most professional associations, our mission governs what we do. MSPEI’s mission is twofold: To provide leadership and representation for physicians, and to promote high standards of health and health care for all Islanders.
When left open to interpretation, MSPEI’s mission is often misunderstood.
So what does the Medical Society do? One best-known duty of the Society is the negotiation of fees for doctors. Negotiations involve not only payment schemes, but other important issues that affect doctors’ ability to provide quality healthcare such as workloads and opportunities for continuing medical education. Successful negotiations are essential to recruit and retain an adequate supply of doctors. Islanders without family doctors appreciate this need and understand only too well the effect shortages have on their ability to access care.
Negotiating is an important task the Society undertakes for its members. What does it do for Islanders? The simple answer is quite a bit . . . so much so that we follow a strategic plan to ensure that the Society and its members achieve their goal of high standards of health and healthcare for all Islanders. As a smaller organization, MSPEI’s resources are limited but its members and staff attempt to address those issues that affect Islanders most significantly. Doctors participate in at least 16 health-related committees to offer their expertise and direction on important issues affecting the delivery of healthcare in PEI.
Are doctors always heard and their advice taken? Unfortunately, not as often as we would like. However, one of the most important jobs physicians take on is that of advocates. We speak for our patients to government, to other health organizations, and to you, the public, to ensure we are doing all we can to provide quality healthcare and you are doing what you can to prevent illness. We also have an extensive internal structure of committees and PEI’s doctors are involved; we may be small but participation is high. One initiative you may be familiar with is the Staying Smoke Free program, a grade six educational project presented by volunteer physicians every year.
Clarifying what we are NOT is important. The Medical Society does not license, discipline, or recruit doctors. Although many individual physicians have played an integral role in bringing colleagues to PEI, it is not a mandate of the Society. In terms of licensing physicians, it is the sole responsibility of the College of Physicians and Surgeons as is the investigation and, if needed, discipline of doctors who have erred in professional judgement or mistreating patients in any way.
Another common expectation is that the Medical Society act as a placement agency to identify doctors taking new patients. Unfortunately, if you do not have a family physician we can only advise you to call the Provincial Patient Registry (1-800-321-5492) so they can help you in finding a suitable family physician.
In the simplest of terms, the Medical Society exists to represent doctors who work in PEI and to ensure the environment in which they work is one that provides the best possible care for their patients. The Society welcomes all calls and will do its best to help or redirect your concern.
352 physicians (including medical student members) Payment of MSPEI dues is compulsory for physicians to practice in PEI.
Structure
Society policy is developed by its Board of Directors, elected each year at the Society's Annual General Meeting. Representation on the Board is sought from each of the five health regions, and the MSPEI has an extensive committee structure.
Head Office
The day-to-day work is conducted at the Medical Society Office with a staff of five.
Medical Society of Prince Edward Island
2 Myrtle Street
Stratford, PE C1B 2W2
email: mspei@mspei.pe.ca
phone (902) 368-7303
fax (902) 566-3934
toll-free 1-888-368-7303