Nova Scotia doctors feeling ‘dissed’
Nova Scotia physicians spoke from the heart Saturday during a meeting in Halifax that emphasized their concerns about proposed federal tax changes.
Doctors Nova Scotia, the professional association representing physicians in the province, organized the session for members to share concerns about what doctors consider the unintended consequences of adjustments under consideration for rules covering private corporations.
Dr. Lisa Bonang, a family physician in Musquodoboit Harbour, got emotional addressing the crowd.
“So what do these tax reforms mean to me? I see it as the straw that’s about to break the back of health care,” Bonang said. “We feel disenfranchised, we feel disheartened, we feel disrespected. We feel, overall, dissed.”
Doctors Nova Scotia sees the proposed changes having a significant effect on physicians by removing some benefits currently available to incorporated physicians for tax saving and tax deferral. About 75 per cent of Nova Scotia physicians are incorporated, according to the association.
The organization maintains that physicians largely use their corporations for retirement-planning purposes, since they don’t have more conventional pension plans.
Dr. Tim Wallace, an ear, nose and throat surgeon in Amherst, painted a bleak financial picture for anyone thinking about starting out in medicine.
“When I first started practice 13 years ago, I came out of residency with about $180,000 in debt,” Wallace said. “Between my wife and I, it was closer to $300,000. When we looked at some of our colleagues who finished university or high school and went on to work, we figured we were about $500,000 behind.”
Such burdens actually contribute to physicians working into their 70s, rather than taking early retirement, he said.
“Our earnings are not value; that’s predicated on how many people we see. Our value is what we provide to people,” Wallace said. “This is not about trying to get ahead. This is about dealing with patients.”
Doctors Nova Scotia is stressing the potential strain on the health system as a result of the proposals. At the meeting at Halifax West High School, the association released details from a member survey sent to 3,515 physicians across the province. About 860 responded, and the organization said the results indicated about 450 physicians would consider leaving the province if the government went ahead with the changes.
Elizabeth Smith-McCrossin, the Progressive Conservative MLA for Cumberland North and her party’s critic for Health and Wellness, encouraged the group to continue with its fight.