The 11 per cent increase offered to specialist doctors, which would raise their average annual pay to $600,000, is more than sufficient, says François Legault.
“That’s enough,” the premier said Thursday morning as he arrived at the Salon rouge of the National Assembly. “I think it’s sufficient, and I think Quebecers agree with that.”
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He noted that a full-time specialist earns an average of $550,000 per year and that the proposed increase would raise that amount to $600,000.
During a press conference an hour later in Quebec City, Dr. Vincent Oliva, the president of the Quebec Federation of Medical Specialists (FMSQ), dismissed Legault’s claim.
The FMSQ is seeking a 14.5 per cent increase over five years, which would include bonuses for meeting targets.
Oliva argued that a large portion of specialists’ pay goes to administrative expenses.
“It’s easy to take numbers and distort them,” he said.
“If you look at it overall, what the government is proposing is a 1.2 per cent increase per year over five years, after a 10-year freeze, in a context where we are already at the back of the pack.
“The reality is that Quebec’s specialist doctors are paid less than elsewhere in Canada. Even with our requests, we will remain at the back of the pack,” insisted the FMSQ president.
Treasury Board president France-Élaine Duranceau referred Thursday to the “end” of negotiations.
“The agreement will be concluded with this proposal. It’s our last offer,” she said.
The minister also said that “important commitments” had been made regarding the availability of operating rooms, among other things.
In response to the impasse, the FMSQ announced Thursday that it is intensifying its pressure tactics.
Starting March 16, specialists will stop offering appointments through the service request distribution centres (CRDS). Consultations will instead be offered “through alternative mechanisms,” explained Oliva.
The CRDS are, in any case, “completely dysfunctional,” leading to “duplication” and “no-shows,” he said. Using “alternative mechanisms,” such as direct referrals by email, will benefit patients, he added.
This new pressure tactic is in addition to those announced last Friday, including specialists’ withdrawal from the activities of the Dossier santé numérique (DSN) and other medical-administrative tasks.
On Thursday, Oliva again assured that the intensification of pressure tactics would not negatively affect patients. He did not rule out taking further action eventually, but said, “we’re not there yet.”
Last fall, specialists stopped teaching medical students.
It should be noted that the Legault government recently granted family doctors a 14.5 per cent increase, plus a 2.5 per cent bonus if they meet care objectives.
“The government has granted increases of roughly the same order to almost all workers in society,” said Oliva, criticizing Legault’s “intransigence” toward specialists and what he called “misplaced pride.”
The framework agreement with specialist doctors expired on March 31, 2023.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
