Physician shortage coming, local doc warns
Alberta Newspaper Group
Alberta’s physicians are being actively recruited by other provinces and countries, which could lead to a dire shortage like Albertans saw a decade ago, says a local emergency doctor.
Dr. Paul Parks, Medicine Hat emergency physician and president of the emergency medicine section for the Alberta Medical Association, says morale is at “an all-time low” for physicians.
“Alberta Health has been devaluing our profession and attacking it,” said Parks. “Other provinces, countries and regions are seeing that this is definitely an opportunity to recruit these doctors. Their message is, ‘We value physicians and what they contribute to communities’.”
There are doctors with strong ties to Alberta that would never leave, but others could be persuaded, he said.
In February, Health Minister Tyler Shandro announced that Alberta was terminating its agreement with doctors and imposing a new fee structure, effective April 1, to prevent an additional $2 billion added to the physicians’ budget over the next three years.
The government said Alberta doctors, on average, make more than physicians in other provinces, receiving on average almost $390,000 in gross clinical earnings in 2018/19.
The AMA commissioned a study and found Alberta doctors get $386,000 a year on average, which is more than the national average of $346,000, but reflects the reality of higher wages and cost of living in general in Alberta.
About 10 years ago it was almost impossible to find a family doctor locally if yours was retiring or you were new in town.
“That’s going to happen again,” said Parks. “I don’t believe Albertans voted for a platform to destroy and dismantle publicly funded healthcare and access to primary care.”
Doctors from other countries helped to fill the gap when we were in need of doctors and they do not have the same ties to keep them here.
Family doctors are like small businesses with all the overhead costs that any small business owner has, said Parks. That would normally be an anchor to persuade a doctor to stay but the government has been eroding that.
Parks worries that the government’s health-care changes are taking place without input from the health profession to provide context about possible ramifications.
“In fact, against any advice from independent physicians and ignoring the united body of the AMA,” said Parks, warning that the impact will be felt in hospitals and ERs.
“Massive implications on how I can deliver health care in the emergency department in the next year or two if physicians’ offices start closing,” said Parks. “Overcrowding is starting.”
At the height of the pandemic, he says, many local physicians spent countless hours, without getting paid, to ensure they were ready for what was expected. Parks says in the middle of this they are being devalued and attacked by the government.
“Many who were considering retiring or leaving are going to speed that process up and some will leave for sure,” said Parks. “There is no question we are going to have an extremely difficult time recruiting in Alberta and it will be even harder in rural communities like ours.”