Canada

If they had, we wouldn’t be experiencing the growing exodus of family doctors.

The feds need to increase transfers to the provinces from the current 25% or so to closer to 33-35% of total costs.

This would allow the provinces to increase compensation to family doctors, and revise the Fee For Service system (at least that’s what it is called here in BC) to cover more minutes for a greater variety of services and tasks. Increased compensation would allow family doctors to hire more staff, pay them more, and cover the rest of their overhead expenses in order to continue as primary care physicians. It would hopefully attract more physicians to open primary care clinics.

Instead, family doctors are leaving the field to become higher paid specialists, or to work in for profit clinics doing tele health or charging retainer fees just to be able to see a family doctor.

Yes, each province must spend their funding responsibly, but it must be done in partnership with the feds.

So, I’m sorry to say, I give no thanks to The Liberals for their lack of leadership on this issue.