A GOOD FIRST STEP
Sydney doctor hopes incentive package is just the start.
They may still be the lowest paid family physicians in Canada but last week’s $39.6 million pay and incentive package from the province is a step in the right direction, says Sydney physician Dr. Mary Doyle.
Doyle spoke to the Cape Breton Post on Monday between surgeries at the Cape Breton Regional Hospital where she assists in the OR, in addition to running a full-time family practice.
While the amount announced last week may not be enough to encourage new doctors to come to Cape Breton, it may help keep those already here a little longer, said Doyle.
“At the end of the day, it represents a huge change in attitude from this government and there are certain ones of us who are taking pause, saying, ‘OK, I’ll hang around a little bit longer to see where this takes us,’” said Doyle, a former president of Doctors Nova Scotia.
The province last week offered doctors an incentive package totaling $39.6 million that included $8.3 million towards an increase in fees for service work and $2.6 million towards the alternative payment plan for family doctors, which means a 5.6 per cent increase for doctors who receive a salary. Doctors who use the fee for service program will now receive $36 for most office visits, up from $31.72 and $44.54 for visits from seniors, up from $40.26. While some visits are completed quickly, Doyle said it’s not uncommon for an office visit to last 45 minutes.
“Most people who come into the office have a couple of things on their mind.”
As well, visits from seniors who may have a variety of health issues, can take longer and they may need more help getting onto an examining table. Common reasons for visiting a doctor such as joint injections and pap tests can take about 20 minutes to complete but no extra money will be coming forward for that.
Extra money was also given to help doctors move from the electronic medical records (EMR) system recommended by the province, but which has fallen by the wayside, to another system. Also, if a doctor takes on an orphan patient (a patient without a doctor), the doctor will receive a $150 onetime fee.
For Doyle, it’s a good start towards mending a relationship between government and doctors that has faltered since the MacNeil government has been in power.
“I see this change of attitude in the government to be extremely positive — I hope that they’re learning from their mistakes,” she said. “This in no way solves the problem but it’s certainly an extremely important first step in helping to resolve this evolving health-care crisis, particularly in primary care in Nova Scotia.”
However, she added that much more needs to be done if the province wants to attract more physicians, especially to Cape Breton, when they can earn so much more elsewhere.
“We are the lowest paid family doctors, GPs, in the country. And this increase doesn’t really take us out of that position. We may be pennies ahead of Newfoundland — I haven’t crunched the numbers – but we haven’t made any big jumps. That’s how far behind we have been relative to the rest of the country. So it’s not surprising that in addition to being the most poorly paid and struggling with our relationships with the government and the district health authority that physicians have decided to leave and that’s really what has been happening. So the health care of all Nova Scotians is being put in jeopardy.
“This is their first move — it’s certainly not the end of what has to happen.”