Ontario is about to get an influx of doctors. They’re coming from Quebec. They are unhappy with a new law that overhauls how doctors in the French-speaking province are paid.
The Ontario College of Physicians and Surgeons reports over the past couple of weeks it has received nearly 300 applications from Quebec doctors wanting to practice in Ontario.
There had been some concerns in Quebec that many physicians would move out of the province over the new pay plan. It links a percentage of salaries to performance targets. And under the new law family doctors would be paid a fixed sum per patient visit.
Doctor Trevor Hennesey is one of those moving his practice.
“This past Monday and Friday nine out of my twelve operating rooms are closed for lack of nurses. Only three out of twelve are open. We have surgeons and anesthetists sitting at home because our operating rooms are closed. And yet we’re being blamed for the issues in the system,” he said.
The new law doesn’t take effect until January. In addition to the pay changes, it stipulates that doctors see 75 percent of emergency room patients within 90 minutes, and 97 percent of surgeries within a year of assessment. If those targets aren’t met, wages could be clawed back.
Premier Francois Legault is defending the new law, saying there must be changes to improve health care.
Doctors who protested against the bill face potential fines of up to 20 thousand dollars a day. Despite that, thousands joined a weekend protest against the law.
Meanwhile, Ontario premier Doug Ford has invited Quebec doctors to apply to work in Ontario, saying if you treat your doctors well and you respect them, “they’re going to stay, and they’re going to have a thriving practice.”
