PEI is mourning the loss of Health Minister Mark McLane this week after a short illness. He was only 56.
We at IHTC extend our sincere condolences to his family, the Premier, his political colleagues, and his Island friends. As the Premier has written, “Mark approached every challenge with humility and optimism, reminding those around him that collaboration and kindness could overcome even the toughest moments or the most challenging tasks.” He will be missed.
Mark’s loss adds to an already tumultuous start to March in the PEI healthcare system, with the loss of three family physicians and change in top leadership.
As a non-profit with a mission to serve the health and well-being needs of PEI, we empathize with our family medicine colleagues and their affected patients. And also with our publicly funded healthcare leaders wanting a healthy and productive frontline team. Unfortunately, all this latest news has highlighted the huge gaps in team solidarity.
As an organization with resources to help leaders and the public, we at IHTC desire to humbly serve where there are needs. I have written quite extensively about proposed solutions to our healthcare crisis. Visit my personal website here and my latest post about this month’s crisis here.
We would advocate that all stakeholders convene ‘circles’ (without a podium) to listen with humility and mutual forgiveness. Which stakeholders? Politicians, health executives, frontline healthcare workers, educators, fitness instructors, employers, faith communities and non-profits, parents, and patients. Where it “takes a village to raise a child,” it takes our entire health and well-being system (public, private, influencers) to work together to solve our crisis with evidence based and proven strategies.
We offer counselling, mediation, as well as group life skills and leadership workshops. Please contact us if we can serve in any way.
Compassionately,
Hendrik Visser, MD, CIME
