On August 27, 2020, Minister of Health Adrian Dix announced recommendations for the modernization of provincial health profession regulation. This included plans for the amalgamation of four health professions into a single, multi-profession regulatory body, tentatively referred to as the Regulatory College of Complementary and Alternative Health and Care Professionals.
The health professions comprising this new regulator are chiropractors, massage therapists, naturopathic physicians, and traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture practitioners.
CCBC believes that modernization of health regulation is a positive thing for both health professionals and British Columbians. The benefits that come with the proposed, multi-profession regulator are many, not least of which is a positive and shared culture.
With the safety of the public at its core, it is our further expectation that these changes will positively affect the delivery of regulatory services, promote best practices, and build consistency on many levels, wherever practical.
“We’re fully invested in the goal to put patients first and the implementation of these recommendations will help strengthen the regulatory colleges’ ability to deliver on their mandate to protect the public,” said Adrian Dix, Minister of Health and chair of the steering committee.
“I want to thank partners and members of the public for their input. We received over 1,780 written submissions and 4,018 surveys in the consultations. This is an area we are passionate about improving and evidently, so are you.”
It is our hope that the professions comprising this new regulator share the commitment to address systemic racism, supporting every patient’s access to quality health care, regardless of race, colour, ancestry, place of origin, religion, marital status, family status, physical or mental disability, sex, sexual orientation, or age.
It is the expectation of the MOH that a single point of entry for the patients/public of these four health professions will provide a unified voice and improve clarity in communicating with stakeholders/public.
The Ministry document is linked here: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/health/practitioner-pro/professional-regulation/recommendations-to-modernize-regulatory-framework.pdf