Representatives of family doctors in British Columbia say giving physicians paid sick days, vacation coverage, extended health and dental benefits and a pension plan is one way to help attract more doctors to work in the province.
The B.C. College of Family Physicians and B.C. Family Doctors published a series of requests for whichever party forms the next government after this October’s provincial election, including a call for access to basic employment standards and benefits like other health-care workers.
Dr. Tahmeena Ali, a past president of B.C. Family Doctors, whose term ended this June, says it can be hard for doctors to access high-quality benefits because each of them qualifies as self-employed rather than part of a larger group.
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“If we want to encourage young medical students and family medicine residents to choose longitudinal family medicine, which is really the bedrock of our health-care system, we need to support them, not only with team-based care, but also financially through paid sick days and vacation coverage and extending the health benefits so that they are not taking a hit when they choose family medicine.”
Ali says a potential change could involve funding a professional organization to negotiate with insurance companies and create a plan that doctors can choose to buy into.
“There are 6,000 family doctors in [B.C.] and if a fair number of them were able to get into this benefits plan, then the cost savings on [an] individual basis will be extensive. [It would mean] not only cheaper benefits, but also a much more wide ranging [plan] versus when you’re trying to negotiate as a single, self-employed person.”
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