Physician Services

Physician Services

Michelle Pinon News Advertiser

In spite of physicians and the provincial government being at odds over a new funding framework, the Town of Vegreville continues to have a very favourable relationship with local doctors in the community.

“We’re very happy with the doctors we have in town right now, and the way they are operating at the clinic and the hospital. They are well respected in the community and we know that they are here for us,” stated Mayor Tim MacPhee.

“Our local doctors are some of our bigger recruitment tools because some of the people that we’re bringing in here have gone to school with or were colleagues some place else and their telling these doctors that Vegreville is a very good place to live and to run a practice,” noted MacPhee.

As to the likelihood of possible changes to services which physicians provide to patients at the hospital or clinic in Vegreville, MacPhee said he couldn’t speak on behalf of doctors on what their issues are with the province.

“I’ve had conversations with three different doctors in the last little while in our community. They are focused on the job they are doing every day. We interviewed Dr. Strydom last week, and today is their last day of quarantine,

April 14, at the hospital. He’s the Chief Medical Officer. He hasn’t indicated any type of action that the local doctors in the clinic will be taking as far as a stance with the province. He has not brought anything up with me.

I know what’s going on in Lac La Biche. Those doctors there have said they will be resigning from working at the hospital and concentrating on their private practice, but as far as local doctors I’ve had no comments one way or another from them.”

If there were doctors who were to leave the community how easy or hard would it be to find replacements?

MacPhee replied, “It’s an ongoing process all the time. We have a physician retention committee and the town and the county and the hospital and the clinic and FCSS are all part of it, and a few other players are involved. It’s been a constant for the past 10 years or so, we are always trying to search out more physicians for our community here. They’re always in contact with doctors looking to relocate.”

On April 15 a group of 10 doctors in Lac La Biche jointly filed a letter of resignation stating they will no longer cover emergency room and obstetric services at the hospital there in the near future.

According to the letter that was sent to provincial and local healthcare officials and a number of media outlets, it stated, “That due to recent government funding changes to our Schedule of Medical Benefit Claim fees, we have been obliged to restructure our Medical Practice to cope with the loss of income. As a result we will not continue to support the William J. Cadzow Health Centre for ER and Obstetrical coverage after July 31, 2020. We are hereby officially resigning our hospital privileges effective July 31, 2020.”

A new funding framework that was introduced in March has been heavily criticized by members of the Alberta Medical Association. More than 800 doctors signed their own open letter to the government on Monday asking it to delay the changes.