Dr. Haggie, who lives in Appleton, was acclaimed to the position during the association’s annual meeting in Niagara Falls, Ont., where he took part in meetings focusing on policy issues related to the CMA.
While he has experience at the board level with the CMA, having represented the Newfoundland and Labrador Medical Association, this will be his first time serving at the executive level. He has been away for one year, and said he needs to catch up on business from the last year.
“It’s going to be a little bit of a learning curve, but I think I’m fairly up to speed now,” said Dr. Haggie, a vascular surgeon. “I’m looking forward to the year, and to learning some more nuances of what I need to know to get the job done when I do become president.”
That opportunity will come in one year, when Dr. Haggie gets to takeover the presidency at the annual meeting in St. John’s, which will be attended by approximately 1,200 people.
“It’s going to be a little bit of a learning curve, but I think I’m fairly up to speed now.” - – Dr. John Haggie
The annual meeting has brought about pronouncements on a number of topics that have since received media attention, including the CMA’s opposition to mixed martial arts and tanning bed use by minors. But on a more local level, Dr. Haggie said people should be interested in the Healthcare Transformation Blueprint, which was approved by the CMA’s general council during the meeting.
“This is an attempt to turn the health system around in its focus on the patient, and it looks at the system through the patient’s eyes. The rural and remote communities are a particularly interesting lens to use. There’s all sorts of difficulties there with geography and access that you don’t necessarily have in an urban setting, but the essence is still not all that much different once they get into the system.
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