By rdnewsNOW staff

Battle continues

Minister doubts survey suggesting 40 per cent of Alberta doctors have considered leaving province

Jul 10, 2020 | 4:36 PM

CALGARY – A survey by the Alberta Medical Association suggests more than 40 per cent of the province’s physicians have at least considered looking for work elsewhere in Canada.

The group blames the potential exodus on the United Conservative government’s announced changes to how doctors are paid.

Some of the measures announced in February were rolled back during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the government and the association remain at odds, and Premier Jason Kenney has said compensation needs to be reined in.

The survey found 87 per cent of Alberta doctors were making changes to their practices, including layoffs, reduced hours, early retirement and possibly leaving Alberta.

The medical association is taking the province to court, alleging breaches of charter rights because it was not given access to third-party arbitration.

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Health Minister Tyler Shandro says it’s questionable whether doctors would leave for other provinces, where they would earn far less than under Alberta’s funding arrangement.

He says the AMA has never presented a credible plan to keep physician spending at 5.4-billion dollars a year and it needs to start taking Alberta’s economic crisis seriously.

“We’re still offering to hold our spending at the highest level in Canada, and frankly that commitment is looking more generous by the day, considering the fiscal situation in this province and this country,” Shandro said Friday in a statement. “But we stand by it. Now it’s up to the AMA to decide what part they want to play in decision-making as we go forward.”

(With file from The Canadian Press, government media release)