A new three-year Master Agreement between the PEI Medical Society, on behalf of Island physicians, and the provincial government has been reached. The agreement, which is retroactive to April 1, 2007, will be in effect until March 31, 2010.
“The enhancement of physician services has been a significant priority of our government,” said Premier Robert Ghiz. “This agreement will help us compete with other jurisdictions in the region. It will help stabilize physician services on Prince Edward Island, ensuring Islanders have continued access to quality health care services.”
Health Minister, Doug Currie noted that government and the physician community have collaborated significantly over the past year to bring this process to a satisfactory conclusion. “The issue of recruitment and retention remains a significant focus for government,” said Minister Currie. “During the past year, many advancements in physician services have been made including the introduction of the Recruitment and Retention Secretariat, the Medical Residency Program and the addition of medical seats at Memorial University for PEI students. This agreement will continue to support government’s priority in recruitment and retention of physicians.”
The Medical Society is also pleased with the outcome of the negotiations. “We are satisfied that our concerns were addressed,” said Dr. William Scantlebury, President of the Medical Society of PEI. “This agreement will help to recruit and retain qualified physicians and it goes a long way to address important issues, such as access to family doctors for patients on the Patient Registry.”
The new Master Agreement provides performance bonuses for physician practices, as well as incentives for providing hospital-based care, providing rural care and enhancing primary care services. Government will also invest in a number of programs to encourage physicians to accept patients who are currently without a family doctor. In addition, these programs will address areas that will make the health system more responsive to changing health service pressures. This will include improvements to fee-for-service compensation to help attract and retain specialists in areas such as emergency medicine, pathology and internal medicine.
This agreement will provide a further $14 million investment in health care over three years.