Okotoks physicians are feeling frustrated, disrespected and demoralized by an ongoing battle between the Alberta Medical Association and the provincial government.
Health Minister Tyler Shandro tore up a master agreement between the AMA and the Alberta government in February, imposing changes in billing that prompted doctors across the province to retaliate, with some rural-based physicians announcing they would be withdrawing hospital services in order to make their practices viable.
Since then the situation has escalated. A letter dated June 18 from Shandro to the College of Physicians and Surgeons implored the governing body to tighten its standards of practice to prevent doctors from leaving services en masse.
In his letter, Shandro states the college’s practices “do not go far enough to protect patients, particularly in rural or smaller communities. Patients in these communities should not have to face an entire group of physicians withdrawing services.”
He directed the college to revise its standards to ensure doctors take certain steps to mitigate the effect of their departure, such as ensuring other physicians can take on patients’ needs, and to “prohibit an entire group of physicians from withdrawing at the same time,” noting the latter could be classified as job action rather than the closure of a practice.
The result of this letter, as well as months of dispute between the AMA and the government resulted in a poll that revealed 42 per cent of Alberta doctors are considering leaving.
Okotoks Dr. Troy McKibbin, who is the president of the Okotoks Urgent Care Physicians Group, said he’s unaware of anyone in town prepared to leave immediately, but he wouldn’t be surprised to see some go within the next few years if the situation doesn’t improve.
“Will 42 per cent of physicians across the province move? No,” said McKibbin. “But some of the docs here who might see greener pastures internationally or in another province, they very well will leave over the next few years if this government continues to be so combative.
“I can almost guarantee that we will see physicians leave practices in Okotoks unless something changes, because not everybody is firmly established here."
One of the greatest concerns is with new medical residents, who may have come to Alberta for school but will likely consider settling elsewhere afterwards rather than making the province their home, said McKibbin.
He said trying to prevent doctors from leaving is a gross overreach of government, and completely unheard of in other professions.
“I can’t think of another profession where you have no right to strike, no right to arbitration, no right to collective bargaining – because now they’re denying us that option – and you’re literally forced to work in a place you either don’t want to or don’t find feasible to do so anymore,” said McKibbin.
It’s the introduction of Bill 30, which creates a setting where the government can bargain with individual physicians, that concerns many Alberta doctors. As a group, under the umbrella of the AMA, the province’s physicians had some power but as individuals bargaining with the government their power is essentially stripped, he said.
He said doctors want to see the government work with the AMA, not try to tear it down.
“Essentially the government is trying to erode the Alberta Medical Association’s power and effectiveness, and that’s very frustrating,” said McKibbin. “If the AMA were a union we would call this union-busting, but they’re not.”
Physicians are feeling demoralized after months of trying to play ball with the government through the AMA, and feel vilified and disrespected by the Province to a degree that has never been experienced before, he said.
He hopes to see a turn-around before the situation gets worse and more physicians set their sights elsewhere.
“It feels like death by a thousand paper cuts,” said McKibbin. “There’s just always a new announcement from Shandro that just boggles the mind. It needs to end somewhere and I don’t know what their end game is here.”
Krista Conrad, OkotoksToday.ca
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