Dr Hirotaka Yamashiro MD FRCP(C) FAAP
Chair, Pediatricians of Ontario Executive Committee (POEC)
President, Pediatricians Alliance of Ontario (AAP Ontario Chapter)
Why I’m running for President of the Ontario Medical Association
In times of profound change, Ontario’s physicians need leadership that is both responsive and adaptive.
Leadership that values hard-won experience and is open to new ideas.
It’s a big job. And a tough one.
It demands a leader who is able to treat sick patients all day long, and then chair a board meeting late into the night.
A leader who has an abiding respect for fellow physicians, a deep commitment to ensuring fair compensation and the skills to navigate frustrating barriers of bureaucracy.
It means not only representing 31-thousand practicing doctors to ensure their voices are heard but also standing up for better health care for 13-million Ontarians.
And we must not forget about our own health.
Our leadership should support all doctors, helping them stay healthy, from training through retirement.
It’s a job that matters profoundly and requires experience and passion to make a difference.
As a frontline physician, I live and work in our health care system every day.
As a practice leader and President of our province wide Pediatricians Alliance, I’ve had experiences that put me front and centre at Queens Park and with the media on tough issues and critical policies.
I’ve demonstrated I know how to work with fellow physicians to run an effective organization.
I’ve learned how to collaborate, and I’ve learned how to lead.
That’s why I’m running for president of the Ontario Medical Association and I’m asking for your support.
Our profession in Ontario has been through a lot and we’re in a new era.
Arbitration is now the reality for negotiations, and we must adapt.
Fighting old battles makes no sense when the rules and landscape have changed.
But to move forward, the OMA leadership must do much better at listening to its members.
Really listening.
If it can’t more clearly articulate to its members what it does, how it serves them and what they are getting for their money, it will face its own demise.
We have a new government, with different ideas for health care.
They’re demanding that everyone in the system adapt and evolve.
They are challenging doctors to play a crucial role.
We are the experts and we must be not only part of the conversation but leading it.
To have the most effective voice, our leadership must do a better job of reaching out and harnessing the collective wisdom we share for the good of the profession and of our patients.
After all, we are 31,000 experts on the health care system.
That’s our strength. I believe in doctors.
My commitment is to tap into that strength, to make the OMA leadership more responsive and relevant.
Please join me in making it happen.