Photo by Shaun Penner

By Curtis Galbraith

City Hall

Grande Prairie doctors worried physicians could go elsewhere

Jul 13, 2020 | 8:48 PM

Some Grande Prairie doctors say they are worried about the government’s proposed changes to how doctors are paid.

A group of five doctors spoke to Grande Prairie City Council at Monday’s meeting.

The province and Alberta Medical Association are in a feud that is going to court over changes to doctor’s compensation. Among those changes, the province would also eliminate incentives for doctors to practice in rural areas like the Peace Country. Currently, those incentives are scheduled to end on March 31, 2021.

One of the presenters at Council, Dr. Brianne Hudson, says it makes more sense to put money into primary care than to make cuts.

“So, a government policy which de-invests from primary care, which hits family doctors hard, cuts their pay by a significant amount, and demoralizes them, at the end of the day, is not going to save health care dollars.”

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Dr. Hudson added that Grande Prairie lost 10 family doctors in 2019 and approximately 32 per cent of the city’s residents were without a family physician. These numbers were from before the dispute started with the province.

The presentation also stated a primary care visit costs $38.00, while an emergency room can cost $1000 or more.

“Numerous studies have shown that primary care is a cost-effective way of delivering health care and it improves mortality, so it saves lives. So, people do better if they have a family doctor following their care versus if they don’t.”

The presentation also pointed out that on average, family physicians do make around $300,000 a year, but that a third of that goes to things like overhead and taxes. It also said any business would have trouble operating with a 30 per cent cut.

Dr. Hudson says the government is pushing what are called “Alternative Relationship Plans”, an ARP for short, where doctors are paid a salary, as a way of supporting primary health care

“Personally, I’m a physician that I have a lot of complex patients, I book long appointments, and typically, I would be interested in something like this. However, given the actions of the government and the distrust that I have, and I know a lot of my physician colleagues have, I would not sign an ARP with this government.”

Council passed a motion affirming that physicians are valued members of the community who are vital to people’s health, our way of life, and the economy. One of the doctors speaking to council had suggested this as a sign of support.

“We have to remember that these are professionals that can literally work anywhere they want,” says Mayor Bill Given. “We have to do something to create a community that offers them a type of lifestyle that they can see themselves in.”

Council also approved seeking a meeting with local MLA’s Tracy Allard and Travis Toews on this and other topics.

(With files from the Canadian Press)