Registered Massage Therapy In Canad A Case Study

As Canadians work longer and live longer, it is of vital importance that health care professionals across the spectrum of services take into consideration a variety of aspects concerning individual health when treating their patients. According to the July findings of a recent survey done by Statistics Canada, “for the first time ever, there are now more people in Canada age 65 and over than there are under age 15” (www.statcan.gc.ca, 2015). The decisions that need to be made in terms of health care will have social and economic impacts that can be addressed through complementary health services such as massage therapy. In this paper I will address the importance of whole patient care in regards to affordability, sustainability, and accessibility.

Our Medical Services Plan (MSP) in Canada ensure that every Canadian citizen, regardless of socio-economic status, can access the most basic health care for their needs. However, the public outcry of longer waiting times, waiting lists, overcrowded hospitals and the like would indicate that our health care services are overburdened and underfunded. Registered Massage Therapy (RMT) can and should serve as an adjunct service that would provide health care to patients that would no longer need to occupy the doctor’s office, the hospital waiting rooms, and later in life, the orthopedic surgeon’s care. As stated in the College of Massage Therapists of BC Brief for the BC Government’s Conversation on Health, “there is clinical evidence proving that massage therapy is effective in treating pain and disability related to the low back, neck, osteoarthritis, depression, headaches, and many other conditions commonly seen by physicians” (College of Massage Therapists Brief, 2012, p. 4). By placing the care of an RMT under the umbrella of our MSP could alleviate the burdens mentioned above, in terms of waiting lists and physician prescribed medication to treat pain. As the brief mentions, “one of massage therapy’s greatest benefits is that is drug free” (CMTB, 2012, p. 4). As our population grows at the seniors end of the spectrum, those services will be sought after in greater

To suggest that RMT take away from existing health care funding would be a difficult road to implement, given the rising cost of health care and the reality that a greater amount of both provincial and federal budgets will be allocated to our aging population. Politically, most health care professionals would prefer to see a larger tax base that provides for top of the line care and services, but our model cannot be based upon the politics of the day. Rather, RMT must find a way to ensure their services are cost-effective and provide feedback that gives solid evidence to its fiscal responsibility. As mentioned in the Brief, many public service sector employees enjoy the benefit of RMT through their own additional insurance, such as Pacific Blue Cross and Extended Health. If RMT is given the opportunity to provide solid statistical evidence that this therapy works in reducing pain, eliminating the need in many instances for expensive pharmaceuticals, and being proactive in a patient’s health care future, perhaps more non-governmental organizations would incorporate extended health benefits to their employees. The savings in health care would certainly be beneficial at the federal and provincial levels as well as to the individual taxpayer. It would be of vital importance that the growing body of supporting evidence surrounding RMT and its health