Promoting excellence in health care
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This article was published 03/12/2021 (546 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
To have an excellent health-care system, areas of excellence and those who are doing the really good work need to be supported, while gaps or shortfalls in the system need to be identified and addressed.
One of the best ways to identify areas of excellence within our health care system is to look at awards given to doctors by their peers. On Nov. 20, I attended a dinner where Doctors Manitoba presented these awards. The recipients have all been involved with inspiring work. They are from all over Manitoba, including at least two from River Heights. They include:
• Dr. Murray Kesselman worked for many years as section head of the pediatric intensive care unit and provided, as well, emergency care for children. He has also worked in northern/remote pediatrics and has travelled around the world as part of Operation Smile to help children born with cleft lips and/or cleft palates.
• Dr. Maryanne Crockett, a pediatric infectious disease specialist, is the director of research and knowledge translation at the Institute for Global Public Health at the University of Manitoba. She has developed transcontinental healthcare initiatives in various countries including Albania, Kosovo, Mozambique, India and Pakistan.
• Dr. Demitre Serletis, an epilepsy specialist and pediatric neurosurgeon, spearheaded the development of a collaborative multi-disciplinary team looking after children with epilepsy. His activities led to the opening of the first pediatric epilepsy monitoring unit in Manitoba. He was also able to provide successful surgeries for epilepsy, of a type that had not been done before in Manitoba.
• Dr. Kerrie Wyant works with vulnerable populations at the Aikins Street Community Health Centre. As the site medical lead she brings her expertise in trauma-informed care and her ability to work as part of the team to her approach to community based care.
• Dr. Paul van Caeseele, Dr. Jared Bullard and Dr. Kerry Durst at the Cadham Laboratories were honoured for their incredible effort during the COVID-19 pandemic. They were able to come up with innovative solutions to speed up turnaround times even during worldwide shortages in laboratory supplies.
In addition to these individuals, also honoured were the resident of the year, Dr. Heather Watson, who worked in addictions, mental health and in reproductive health; family physicians Dr. Mairi Burnett and Dr. Chris Burnett, and, most notably, as physician of the year, our provincial chief public health officer, Dr. Brent Roussin, who has been so prominent in helping Manitoba get through the COVID-19 pandemic.
Those who were honoured are but a small sample of the excellent physicians in Manitoba and a reflection of the great work done in our province, and sometimes globally, to improve the quality of care for all.
They are an inspiration to all, a mentor to many who aspire to follow in their footsteps, and an example to those in other areas of medicine of what can be achieved. As the MLA in River Heights, I say thank you to all of them for their contributions to our health and well-being.
Jon Gerrard
River Heights constituency report
Jon Gerrard is Liberal MLA for River Heights.