Alberta says on-call physician funding could see changes after association raises alarm
Posted February 25, 2025 7:47 am.
An upcoming change to how doctors are paid for being on-call could make the situation even worse in Alberta hospitals, the Alberta Medical Association (AMA) says.
More programs are being included in the province’s on-call program, and the government has refused to increase the budget, according to AMA president, Dr. Shelley Duggan.
Soon, physicians who are on-call at the hospital from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays won’t receive a stipend. They’ll only be eligible for that pay for after hours on-call.
The proposed changes are currently set to take effect on April 1.
“You can imagine where this is going to impact the most, is going to be in our emergency departments, which are already completely full and not able to care for patients as they come in because of the backlog of patients in the department,” Duggan said.
She adds that doctors could choose not to see new patients, such as a consult in the emergency room, if they aren’t being paid.
Duggan says this change, and the current state of the health care system, could drive more doctors away.
She explains many doctors have their own offices they have to pay for, and if they’re not there seeing patients, they have to be paid at the hospital in order to pay bills.
“There’s just this widespread concern that there’s no understanding of where the medical system is at and understanding that healthcare workers, not just physicians, are a very needed commodity across the country and if we don’t treat people well, we are simply going to lose them,” Duggan said.
A statement from the Alberta health minister’s office indicates the government is now considering funding changes in Thursday’s budget.
The province also says the AMA was a member of the Physician On-Call Program (POCP) Advisory Committee that made recommendations for the rates.
-With files from Lisa Grant and Phil Wood
