TORONTO — Recruitment and retention of doctors in Ontario is"not a major concern," the Ministry of Health suggests in arguments it is making in arbitration with the Ontario Medical Association over physician compensation.
"Things are in such dire shape that that's the fastest way to get money out the door to stabilize family doctors' practices," said Dr. David Barber, the chair of the OMA's Section on General and Family Practice."It's really quite insulting," Barber said. "The average physician income adjustments compared favourably with other settlements where retention and recruitment is not a major concern," the ministry wrote.
"It is concerning that while physician incomes have been rising, and the number of physicians outpaces population growth, patient access appears to have worsened," the ministry wrote. "These considerations are particularly relevant when the considers issues such as retention and recruitment of physicians," it wrote."There is an entirely different consideration for this hearing than there was in the recent health-care decisions in hospitals."