Mar. 17, 2005. 07:16 PM

Deal won't fix doctor shortage, says coalition

FROM CANADIAN PRESS

A coalition of family physicians refused today to endorse the Ontario government's tentative contract for doctors, casting doubt on a deal reached after months of acrimonious negotiation.
"We believe the family doctors are going to vote the right way, they're going to vote no," said Dr. Douglas Mark, president of the Coalition of Family Physicians of Ontario.

"Everyone knows we have to fix the family doctor shortage. Clearly we didn't see that this (contract) would and many of the doctors out there have agreed with us."

The Ontario Medical Association has estimated that 1.2 million Ontarians in both rural and urban areas don't have access to a family physician. The health ministry considers 142 communities medically under-serviced.

Although the tentative deal was brokered by the OMA as a salve, albeit an imperfect one, for a beleaguered health-care system, some family physicians aren't buying it.

In a survey sent to the 3,700 members of the Coalition of Family Physicians, some 98 per cent of respondents said the deal didn't meet their needs, said Mark.

"I think their voice will be quite well heard when it comes to voting time."

Next week, the province's 20,000 physicians will begin casting votes in a non-binding telephone referendum. The deal would put at least another $2.4 billion in doctors' pockets.

This new bid to secure peace with the province's doctors comes after 60 per cent of them snubbed the deal tabled in November.

While not directing its membership to vote no this time around, the family doctors' coalition is withholding its endorsement and Mark says he will cast a no vote.

Despite those rumblings, the Ontario Medical Association remained optimistic the deal would be ratified.

"I'm still confident that doctors will see this as an improvement, an agreement that starts to address the serious problems we have here in Ontario for patient access to care," said president Dr. John Rapin.

"Of course there remain concerns; that's to be expected," said Rapin. "My message has been (that) we have to start somewhere."

A group of rural physicians and municipalities agreed the deal could be the starting point for health care improvements.

"We endorse this draft agreement because we see concrete incentives which, if properly implemented, could help get physicians into under-serviced areas," said Richard Adams, co-chair of the NOW Alliance.

The OMA's board has endorsed the proposal, but the final decision on whether to ratify the deal will be made by its governing council March 30.

The proposed agreement, reached two weeks ago, sweetens an offer the doctors rejected last fall by $120 million and includes further incentives such as an end to caps on their billings.

Key among the improvements over the deal rejected in November is an across-the-board retroactive increase to April 1, 2004. Family doctors will receive 2.5 per cent and specialists, two per cent.

Whether that will be enough to placate Ontario's doctors remains to be seen.

"I would stay tuned, it's going to be close," said Mark.