Area residents might be forgiven for starting to find the months-long dispute between the province’s physicians and the UCP government a little bit tiring – if the stakes weren’t so high for every Albertan.
Centering on the Kenney government’s decision to scrap the existing agreement with the Alberta Medical Association (AMA), the dispute has already seen physicians in some communities withdraw services.
Whether a solution can be found to end the impasse before it degenerates even further and starts impacting patients at the local level remains a very big question.
What is known is that the sides in the dispute remain far, far apart, with the situation recently going from bad to worse.
The AMA says a recent survey of its members that found less than three per cent of respondents have confidence in Health Minister Tyler Shandro points to the need for Premier Jason Kenney to act.
“Our goal is to reach a negotiated agreement with the government, using arbitration if necessary,” said outgoing AMA president Dr. Christine Molnar. “We will be reaching out to Premier Kenney and seeking his leadership.”
And Health Minister Shandro’s response to the AMA survey results? A doubling-down of the position he has held since the start of the dispute so many months ago.
“We spend 15 per cent more per capita on physicians than the national average, but Albertans aren’t seeing better results, and we have the same shortages in smaller community that we’ve seen for decades,” Shandro said last week.
“The previous government increased spending by $1 billion a year, yet rural physician supply grew slower than in other provinces. We need to align compensation with patient care, and make sure doctors are practising where Albertans need them.”
Premier Kenney has publicly stood by his minister throughout this ongoing dispute. How long that will remain a viable option in the face of what is now an apparent complete lack of physician confidence in Minister Shandro’s ability to do his job remains to be seen.
Dan Singleton is an editor with The Albertan
