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By Jaryn Vecchio

Doctor Shortages

Sask. NDP intrigued & concerned with B.C.’s new payment model for family doctors

Nov 5, 2022 | 8:00 AM

The Saskatchewan NDP is worried British Columbia may soon start enticing provincial doctors to move out west.

Earlier in the week, B.C.’s government announced a new payment model for family doctors which will help them get compensated for all the work they do.

Most doctors in Canada, including in Saskatchewan, are paid through a fee-for-service model which primarily focuses on the number of patients they see daily.

B.C.’s new model will still focus on the number of patients, but also the time a doctor spends with each patient, the complexity of the issues a patient is facing, and administrative costs currently paid directly by family doctors.

“There are a lot of concerns coming from family medicine right now, that the current model we have in Saskatchewan is not sustainable, it’s not attracting new doctors, or retaining them,” said Vicki Mowat, the health critic for the Saskatchewan NDP.

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She added the province can’t afford to lose any more doctors. Currently, multiple cities across Saskatchewan are having a tough time recruiting physicians, which is creating a long list of people trying to find a local doctor.

“We haven’t seen the firm number yet, but anecdotally, we’ve had a lot of doctors leaving,” said Mowat. “Some very high-profile doctors who’ve been posting about it on places like Twitter, talking about how they don’t feel respected by this government, how they don’t feel listened to.”

Despite being concerned about losing more doctors, Mowat isn’t against B.C.’s new model. In fact, she believes it’s something the province should implement as well.

“We need to be looking for solutions before it gets worse.”

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Jaryn.Vecchio@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @princealbertnow