`Escape the politics': B.C. clinics trying to lure Alberta MDs
A chain of medical clinics in British Columbia's Lower Mainland is hoping political strife between the Alberta government and physicians can draw doctors west.
Denning Health Group, which runs seven clinics in the Greater Vancouver cities of Surrey, Abbotsford and Delta, is running advertisements in Alberta to recruit physicians fed up with the province's turbulent political climate.
In one ad that ran in the Oct. 24 edition of the Calgary Sun, the company urges doctors to “escape the politics” and “come practise in beautiful B.C.”
“Competition for doctors nationally and internationally is very heated,” said Tom Yearwood, president and CEO of Denning Health Group. “What's going on in Alberta is national news ... there's entire towns in Alberta where docs are threatening to walk out the door. B.C. would be a natural choice for those doctors.”
Alberta physicians have been battling with the UCP government since Health Minister Tyler Shandro ripped up the province's master pay agreement with doctors in February. Shandro then unilaterally introduced changes to the contract, some impacting physician compensation and billing practices.
The move led some doctors to publicly consider leaving Alberta, with the provincial government having identified more than 200 rural doctors reconsidering their practices in April. In some communities, doctors have followed through with the decision, with five Stettler physicians announcing in September their plans to leave Alberta.
Recently proposed rules by Alberta's regulatory college for doctors would prevent doctors from quitting en masse, requiring phy
These doctors are talking about leaving … so if they're going to leave, I would like them to come to us.
sicians to stagger their departures.
Yearwood said the fractured relationship between doctors and the government presents a significant opportunity for other jurisdictions looking to bring in more physicians.
“These doctors are talking about leaving, and I'm in the business of supporting doctors, so if they're going to leave, I would like them to come to us,” Yearwood said. “With the news out of Alberta, with all the disenchanted doctors, I chose to take this approach to get right to the heart of the matter.”
The campaign hasn't resulted in considerable uptake yet, Yearwood said, but traffic to his company's website has surged. He said he expects to be in touch with more doctors in the upcoming weeks and months.
Calgary has been B.C.'s main competition in recruiting doctors over the past decade, said Yearwood. He called it the “destination of choice” for many, with factors like a better billing system, lower taxes and lower property costs central to the city's success. But the tide now seems to be turning.
“We were behind the eight-ball financially for a long time but recent changes have more or less levelled the playing field,” he said.
Though part of the Denning Health Group campaign takes a political angle, Yearwood said the company is also looking to lure doctors with warmer weather and competitive compensation.
The Alberta government has said that despite a spotlight on doctors leaving the province, this year has seen a net gain in physicians in Alberta.