Alberta third province to sign health-care funding deal with Ottawa – GLOBAL
December 21, 2023
The Alberta government is committing $200 million to help family doctors keep the lights on while a new funding agreement with physicians is hammered out.
“This is stabilization money to keep those practices going,” Dr. Paul Parks, president of the Alberta Medical Association, told a news conference Thursday, standing alongside Premier Danielle Smith and Health Minister Adriana LaGrange.
Parks said Alberta’s billing system has not kept up with office and administration costs for family physicians, a problem made worse by inflation, forcing more and more to decide whether to stay in general practice or switch to a specialty.
“It’s very difficult to actually keep your lights on, keep your offices (open), pay your staff,” said Parks.
“Family physicians are small business owners.”
