What most attendees realized was an information and feedback session on the future of family medicine last week instead saw Health Minister Adrian Dix make a surprise presentation offering a controversial contract and a debt write-off in return. practice of medicine in BC Doctors who graduated last year or will graduate from medical school this year are offered a fixed salary of $ 295,000, a $ 24,000 sign-up bonus and up to $ 150,000 to write off student loan debt if they work in the county for five years. About 40 percent of a family doctor’s annual salary goes to cover the overhead of his or her practice, which often requires unpaid hours of work. In a stern letter sent to the ministry and the associations representing doctors and permanent doctors, the leading residents of UBC Family Medicine, Dr. Ana Boskovic and Dr. Romina Moradi, wrote not only that the intention of the session was “falsified” to them, but also the exclusion of International Medical Graduates from the offer was “disrespectful, unjust, fueling the systemic racism that many of our colleagues regularly face”. The president of Resident Doctors of BC received a diplomatic tone in an interview with CTV News, insisting that the Ministry of Health responded to their comments in previous discussions, but acknowledged that the offer passed like a lead balloon. “There has been a significant degree of anger and frustration among the resident community and I think part of that has to do with the consultation process,” said Dr Devon Mitchell. “One of the big messages we want to convey in cooperation with the government is that there needs to be a stronger system of consultation with residents – especially those who are closely affected.”
DISCUSSIONS BETWEEN GOVERNMENT AND DOCTORS WAITING
Last month, the health minister outraged family doctors after he said nurses provide better primary care, and the prime minister sought to normalize things with a “reset” as John Horgan engaged in discussions about what he acknowledged was a “climbing” »Health care system. . Adrian Dix was a defender of the offer, arguing that it was a public relations move aimed at showing that the government was taking action on the primary care crisis, without offering a solution to the thousands of GPs already struggling with an exhausting workload. and outdated payment model. “This is a temporary step, in a sense, because we want a broader agreement that will make it better for everyone and the whole system,” he told reporters on Tuesday. “In the meantime, as we work together on these things, I think people want us to take action – this is action. “It’s not a step towards solving every problem, but it is a step towards encouraging young doctors to become part of full family medicine.” He did not deny allegations that he blinded the doctors. Over the weekend, BC Family Doctors sent an internal memo to member organizations where leaders claimed they were unaware of the proposal, insisting they had taken the doctors’ concerns to the ministry and told the deputy health minister that ” will not attend future meetings with the Ministry unless [they] have a direct contribution to the agenda “. Surgeons, anesthesiologists and radiologists are among those who criticized the minister’s “top-down” approach to planning and decision-making without consulting front-line staff.
CONTRACTS AND CONTROL: THE REACTION WAS EXPLAINED
There has been a lot of talk about the service-paying model, which is described worldwide by doctors as outdated and does not consider raising the overhead costs and time that doctors spend with patients. But the province’s offer for young doctors to have a fixed salary is probably just as unpopular. Veteran doctors use social media to warn their young peers that they will sign up for a doctor’s office for a fixed amount each year, with unforeseen overheads and contract doctors unable to work longer or modify their workload, and potentially even their hours, in response to changing conditions. “The average overhead cost for a family doctor is between $ 115,000 and $ 125,000 – as soon as you subtract it,” explained Alexander Kilpatrick, a permanent physician. Longtime family doctor Jennifer Lush described the offer amid rising inflation and the family doctor crisis, “a bit like offering a glass of water to someone when the house is on fire”.
