Alberta Medical Association says delayed pay deal will hurt health-care system [Video]

An Alberta doctors’ group says even though a new pay deal with the province is ready to be implemented, the government isn’t putting its money where its mouth is.

Dr. Shelley Duggan, the Alberta Medical Association’s new president, says doctors are worried the province’s health-care system is on the verge of flatlining, and the pay deal is still waiting on approval from the province’s Treasury Board.

“We are deeply, sincerely afraid that the health-care system in Alberta is ready to collapse past the point of repair any time soon. And because we must advocate for our patients, our patience has come to an end,” she told reporters at a virtual news conference Monday.

In April, the province announced a plan to change how family doctors are paid, but it has yet to finalize a new model that would move away from the current fee-for-service system.

Former medical association president Dr. …