CANADIAN DOCTORS 'UNPROFESSIONAL' IF THEY WITHDRAW SERVICES, SAYS MINISTER

Doctors 'unprofessional' if they withdraw services, says minister

SundayMay 5, 2002

VICTORIA - Threats by British Columbia's doctors to cut services to speed up negotiations with the Liberal government are unprofessional and unfortunate, Health Services Minister Colin Hansen said Friday.

Doctors will quickly find out they are fighting a losing battle with the public if they withdraw services over an issue that involves dividing up $392 million, he said.

"Negotiating has been going fast and furious, but there's not any kind of final-offer process,'' Hansen said.

The B.C. Society of Specialist Physicians and Surgeons said its members, including pediatricians, anesthesiologists, pediatricians, obstetricians, ear, nose and throat specialists and other surgeons, are poised to begin aggressive job action on Monday if there is no funding agreement with the government.

Last March, the surgeons put escalating service withdrawals on hold after Premier Gordon Campbell intervened in talks, promising a negotiated settlement.

But the surgeons are now upset with what they regard as a lack of progress at the bargaining table and are poised to withdraw services again.

The surgeons have yet to formally announce their planned job action, but it's expected to include cancellation of all elective surgeries, withdrawal of on-call services, except in emergency life-and-limb situations and some office closures.

General practitioners may withdraw services later in the week, says the B.C. Medical Association, which represents the province's 7,800 doctors.

"I'm very concerned,'' said Hansen. "It would be very unfortunate and very unprofessional if doctors were to withdraw services simply because the details are not worked out.''

He said the government has contingency plans in place to ensure patients receive treatment.

He rejected suggestions by the surgeons the government is poorly prepared and dragging out negotiations.

"I don't for a minute accept government delays (are the reason),'' Hansen said.

Dr. John Ramsden, a spokesman for the medical specialists, said service withdrawals are likely to begin Monday.

"At this point in time, it seems quite unlikely we are going to reach an agreement,'' he said.

Ramsden said the government is bringing new issues to the bargaining table that are reducing the chances of resolving contentious issues surrounding on-call services and a dispute resolution mechanism.

"Essentially what they are doing is stealing from the old pot to pay for the new pot,'' he said.

The surgeons began withdrawing evening and weekend on-call services last March and were threatening to cancel all elective surgeries, but the escalation was put on hold when Campbell stepped in.

The doctors gave the government until May to make significant progress at the bargain table on the money issues and the development of a dispute resolution mechanism.

The Liberal government's decision to reject a binding arbitration award last February and impose a legislated settlement angered doctors.

The doctors were upset the government dropped binding arbitration as a settlement mechanism and threatened further job action until moves were made toward developing a suitable dispute resolution mechanism.

In cancelling the award by arbitrator Allan McEachern, a former B.C. chief justice, the government said the arbitration ruling only threw money at the problem and did little to improve a decade of poisoned relations with doctors.

Hansen said the Liberals honoured the spirit of the arbitration by approving two retroactive pay increases adding up to $392 million. However, the government wiped out a third raise of nine per cent due April 1.

The legislated settlement granted B.C.'s doctors a pay increase averaging about $50,000 per doctor, an estimate disputed by the doctors.

"What we're dealing with is how you divide up the package,'' Hansen said.

The money was slated to go towards fee-for-service increases, on-call services, rural agreements and alternative payment arrangements for sessional and salaried work, he said.

Dr. Michelle Sutter, spokeswoman for the specialists, said the fight is about the government imposing policies on how doctors should divide the money.

"We're not arguing about how much money there is,'' she said.

"We're arguing about how we want to use it.'' © Copyright 2002 Canadian Press + Global BC