Dear editor,
Jason Kenney and this UCP government put out notice their suggested changes to physician pay will be unilaterally implemented on April 1. Is that an April Fool鈥檚 joke? Sadly not.
The relationship between the doctors of Alberta and this government has broken down.
The doctors are committed to Alberta and have chosen to spend their lives helping Albertans through the times when we need it the most.
There has been considerable media time spent on the projection of myths and misconceptions about our doctors. To stay silent will only perpetuate this.
To make statements about the level of income our doctors make compared to others is not only misleading but fails to take into account all the facts.
I know math is hard, but the government has used skewed statistics in the McKinnon report to promote its ideological budget.
An independent consultancy whom the government hired during the negotiations of two previous AMA agreements, Invictus Analytics & Strategy, recently determined the pay differential between Alberta physicians and comparator provinces is only 5.7 per cent and not the 35.2 per cent figure the government quotes.
In fact, by 2021/2022, if fee codes are left as is, Alberta physicians will make 2.5 per cent less than comparator provinces once negotiated fee increases in other provinces are implemented.
In addition, once the government's new fee changes take effect, Alberta physicians will be making 40 per cent less and they will have to lay off staff, close their clinics and will be unable to provide obstetrics and emergency services.
Albertans see their doctors only once in a while unless they have severe or chronic illnesses. Most do not see the 144-plus hours a month they are on call.
In rural Alberta it is even more and if they are not willing to spend the 14 hours beyond their regular 10 hour day, we would not have the emergency care we not only need but expect.
To be a doctor is not a career decision to be made lightly. It is a profession that goes unnoticed and unappreciated until you may have that emergency.
To imply that our doctors in Alberta are making an exorbitant amount compared to 'Henry and Martha' is an attempt to sway the public that the doctors鈥� years of education, long hours, and job stress that we can't even imagine - making a decision about the best way to save someone's life in an instant is not a job that most people can do and still sleep at night.
But in reality that is what our elected officials from Jason Kenney's UCP government are doing. Without the knowledge, education or commitment to Albertans for their entire careers, this government is making that decision with this new imposition on our doctors.
Can they sleep at night knowing that Martha will have to wait to get care, if at all? How will Henry cope when Martha has passed? Can this government and these UCP MLAs tell Henry, "We had to make cuts, but it's for your own good鈥�?
Just because the doctors can accept less for themselves doesn't mean they should.
By bullying these professionals, and that is what it is, school yard bullying, the province with all the might of the legislature, is shaking down our doctors.
They are hoping our doctors don't stand up to or tell anyone about the abuse. They, like the playground bully, are counting on it.
Our doctors have a strong and tireless commitment to us, their patients.
This UCP government is counting on that commitment to be stronger than their own self-worth and just like a bad relationship, sometimes the abused stays for the sake of the children.
The day will come, and for some it is now here, when our doctors will leave, for the well-being of themselves and their families.
Our doctors are well educated professionals and are in high demand across this country and around the world. They can, and will, find job satisfaction and happiness for their families.
It will be difficult for our doctors to leave. But just as it may be difficult for someone to leave an abusive relationship, it is usually the best.
Communication is key to any relationship, but it has to be honest and truthful. Respect for our doctors and what they contribute to our province doesn't have to be earned, it should be just given.
Our doctors deserve better. We deserve better.
Ken Kuzminski
Jasper, AB
