Contract talks between the province’s doctors and the provincial government are set to begin next week, more than three years after the last contract expired.
The Newfoundland and Labrador Medical Association has yet to present its formal proposal to government, but association president Dr. Lynette Powell laid out a broad wish list for the media this morning.
Top-of-mind for the NLMA is the issue of recruiting and enticing doctors to stay in the province after they graduate from MUN.
Powell says that’s a huge challenge given the current fee-for-service structure and salary levels.
She says Newfoundland and Labrador is the least attractive place in the country for doctors to set up their practice, mainly because salaries in the province are “by far” the lowest in Canada.
The NLMA notes a recent poll by Narrative Research showed that almost 20 per cent of the province’s population – or about 90-thousand residents – do not have a family doctor.
NLMA President Dr. Lynette Powell announces negotiations between doctors and province to begin next week. @VOCMNEWS pic.twitter.com/VP7KThIMDq
— Brian Callahan (@briancallahan67) November 25, 2020
