Advocacy letter for shortage of physicians

I am writing as your constituent and as someone living with migraine to raise an urgent concern about access to care. Canada is facing a shortage of healthcare providers, but for people living with migraine, the problem is even more acute: there are far too few healthcare professionals with the training and expertise needed to diagnose and manage migraine and other headache disorders. 

Migraine affects more than 5 million Canadians, and approximately 1–2% of the population lives with chronic migraine (experiencing attacks on 15 or more days each month). Despite how common and disabling migraine is, headache medicine remains significantly underrepresented in medical education. Primary care providers receive very limited training in the diagnosis and treatment of migraine, while access to headache specialists is extremely limited. 

For many people, this creates a difficult cycle. Many wait months or even years to see a specialist, while primary care providers may not have the training or resources to confidently manage their condition. As a result, people can go without an accurate diagnosis or delayed treatment initiation, ineffective treatment leading to experiencing unnecessary disability, and ultimately require more healthcare services (e.g. visits to emergency department). 

At the same time, migraine treatment has advanced significantly. New preventive and acute treatments, including CGRP-targeted therapies, are providing meaningful options for many people living with migraine. Yet these treatments are of little benefit to patients who cannot access a healthcare professional who is knowledgeable about migraine and can help determine which treatment is appropriate. 

Consider sharing: 

• What your life was like before receiving effective preventive treatment. 
• How many migraine or headache days you experienced. 
• What treatments you tried and the challenges you faced accessing care. 
• What changed after starting an anti-CGRP medication. 
• How effective treatment has affected your ability to work, attend school, care for your family, participate in activities, or simply live your life. 

For example: 
“Before starting [treatment], I experienced approximately [X] migraine days each month. Since starting treatment, my migraine days have decreased to [X], allowing me to [return to work/spend more time with my family/participate in activities/etc.].” 

My request

I am asking our government to take meaningful steps to address the shortage of healthcare professionals trained in headache medicine by:

1. Increasing education and training in migraine and headache disorders within nursing, nurse practitioner and physician programs 
2. Expanding access to headache specialists and multidisciplinary headache clinics, particularly in underserved and rural communities.
3. Supporting models of care that enable primary care providers to confidently diagnose and manage migraine, with clear pathways for timely referral to specialists when needed.
4. Exploring innovative models of care, including virtual consultation, nurse-led and pharmacist-supported services, and other approaches that can extend the reach of headache specialists and reduce unnecessary wait times.

People living with migraine should not have to wait years for appropriate care simply because there are too few healthcare professionals with expertise in the disease.

Improving access to timely, evidence-based migraine care would help reduce disability, improve quality of life, support people's ability to work and participate in their communities, and make better use of our already-stretched healthcare system.

As my elected representative, I am asking you to advocate for improved access to migraine and headache care and to support investments in education, training, and innovative models of care that will ensure Canadians can access the right healthcare professional at the right time.

Thank you for taking the time to listen to my concerns. I look forward to hearing what actions you and your government will take to improve access to care for people living with migraine in our province.

Sincerely,