Group of physicians ‘satisfied with the agreement in principle’
The Quebec government has reached an agreement in principle with its family doctors that will delay and amend controversial legislation overhauling how physicians are paid.
The deal, announced Thursday, follows an intensive round of negotiations between the province and the Fédération des médecins omnipraticiens du Québec (FMOQ), including a meeting between the federation’s president and Premier François Legault.
The agreement comes in response to Bill 2, a remuneration reform that ties physician salaries to the number of patients they follow and the vulnerability of those patients. The FMOQ has warned the law’s impact would be “catastrophic,” saying it has already prompted some family doctors to leave Quebec, take early retirement or move into the private sector, according to The Canadian Press.
In a message to its members, the FMOQ said it views the agreement in principle as a significant development in a tense bargaining climate.
“We know that many family doctors were until recently juggling with different scenarios for the next steps in their careers, and we’re fully aware of the climate of uncertainty that you have gone through, and the uncertainty isn’t over,” the federation said, according to the Canadian Press report. “However, we can confirm that the FMOQ is satisfied with the agreement in principle, and that it adequately addresses the objectives you gave us,” it added, as reported by The Canadian...
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