After medical experts, Quebec family doctors also stop teaching as negotiations stall

As of Thursday, Quebec family doctors are no longer teaching their medical students and medical experts have announced the suspension of mediation as negotiations with the provincial government remain at an impasse.

Family doctors and medical experts talking with Quebec, BIll at the center of tension 106. The bill would, among other things, link physicians’ pay to performance indicators so they can take on more patients.

Last month, members of Federation des Médecins Specialists du Québec (FMSQ), which represents medical specialists in the province, stopped teaching graduate students and supervising their clinical placements in protest of the bill.

and on thursday federation des médecins omnipracticiens du quebec (FMOQ), the group representing family doctors, also followed suit.

“FMOQ agreed to suspend the teaching boycott in good faith,” the federation wrote in a statement to Radio-Canada on Wednesday. “In light of the government’s intransigence, the boycott will proceed as planned.”

FMOQ is now requesting arbitration to settle the dispute. The group says it is committed to respecting the outcome of this arbitration, whatever its implications.

Meanwhile, talks with medical experts have also come to a halt.

On Thursday, FMSQ announced the suspension of arbitration.

In a letter to its members obtained by Radio-Canada, Dr. Vincent Oliva, president of the FMSQ, said negotiations would only resume if “the government confirms that its negotiators at the table have the mandate to proceed without interference from the chief custodian of the negotiations, Minister Dubé.”

Oliva wrote, “We made it clear to our counterparts that we would no longer work in this bad movie, which always has the same ending.”

On 20 October, the FMSQ is expected to examine ‘phase two’ of the pressure strategy, where new actions will be on the agenda.

The government says, ‘We are still willing to talk.’

In a joint statement to Radio-Canada, Health Minister Christian Dubé and Treasury Board President France-Alain Duranceau expressed disappointment at the FMOQ decision.

“We put commitments on the table for family medicine groups. We are still willing to negotiate. Our goal is for all Quebecers to be cared for by a family doctor or clinic,” Dubé and Duranceau wrote.

In an interview on Radio-Canada tout un matin On Thursday morning, FMOQ president Dr. Marc-André Amiot accused the government of negotiating in “bad faith”, saying that despite “huge efforts” by doctors at the bargaining table, it refused to back down.

“The minister says we are the highest-paid people in Canada. Well, if that’s true, let him prove it to an arbitrator and we’ll accept a pay cut,” Amyot said.

He said his group has brought solutions to the bargaining table, offering more appointment slots for patients and said it would like to work with the government to reach agreement on a new remuneration plan.

Dubey said last month that Bill 106 is here to stay, even if a compromise is reached with family doctors and medical experts.

Now, many medical students across the province worry they won’t be able to graduate in June because of the controversy.

Bill 106 proposes a mixed remuneration model, consisting of capitation payments – an annual flat rate per patient based on their vulnerability level – an hourly rate for time spent with patients and fee for service.

A portion of their salary will also be tied to their collective performance based on targets set at the provincial and local level.

Dubey said in May that these goals could reduce wait times and absenteeism rates and increase the quality of care.

Amyot warned that the bill would have a negative impact on access to doctors and said that evaluating the work of family doctors should not be based solely on their clinical appointments, as “there is a whole lesser-known segment of their work.”