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Alberta Health Minister issues statement on physician compensation

A shot across the bow Friday from Alberta’s Health Minister to doctors across the province.

Tyler Shandro issuing a statement regarding physician compensation, saying the UCP government is moving forward through a new funding framework, and is committed to maintaining spending on physicians at $5.4 billion a year.

“It’s questionable that doctors would leave for other provinces when stats show they’d earn far less than in Alberta under the current funding arrangement,” says the Minister.

Shandro also says the Alberta Medical Association has never presented a credible proposal to meet the government’s priority of maintaining spending at the current level, a fact that’s confirmed in the government’s statement of defence in response to the AMA’s lawsuit.

The Minister says the Alberta Medical Association has never taken bargaining seriously. “The AMA needs to stop playing games, and start taking the economic crisis facing this province and this country seriously. We’re still offering to hold our spending at the highest level in Canada, and frankly that commitment is looking more generous by the day, considering the fiscal situation in this province and this country. But we stand by it. Now it’s up to the AMA to decide what part they want to play in decision-making as we go forward.”

The provincial government is now exploring introducing physician compensation transparency, as exists for public servants in Alberta and doctors in a number of other provinces.

Meanwhile, a recent survey of doctors in the province found 87% are looking to make changes to their medical practices because of the new funding framework. To add to that, 49% are considering a move outside of Alberta.

Patrick Siedlecki
Patrick Siedlecki
Pat has been a mainstay in the CJOC News department from the time the station launched in 2007. He's been in the position of News Director since then and has been anchoring daily news casts as well as reporting and working behind the scenes. Community is important to him and keeping CJOC listeners and readers informed about what's happening across southern Alberta and beyond. Pat has been in radio broadcasting for the past 24 years, starting in Port Alberni on Vancouver Island in 1997 and then moving up island to Nanaimo for another few years before heading to Lethbridge in 2007. Pat grew up in the small Saskatchewan farming town of Foam Lake. After high school, he went to Western Academy Broadcasting College (WABC) in Saskatoon prior to moving to the island. Pat also spent several years broadcasting hockey in the BCHL as well as seven years as the radio voice of the Lethbridge Hurricanes in the WHL. Pat has been working at Cornerstone Funeral Home in Lethbridge as a Certified Life Celebrant and Funeral Assistant since 2016. News and sports have always been Pat's passion from the time he was a teenager and he's always been grateful to have had the opportunity to make that part of what's been a fun and long radio career!
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