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News Release
Press Release on the Threatened
Physicians Strike from the Medical Reform Group of Ontario
The Medical Reform Group represents the views of Ontario physicians
concerned about the challenges faced by Medicare in the 1980's.
They wish to see universal access to free high quality health care
preserved for all Ontario Residents.
PHYSICIANS GROUP OPPOSES THREATENED DOCTORS WALKOUT
The Medical Reform Group strongly oppose the Doctor's strike proposed
by the Ontario Medical Association for next week, and call upon
Ontario Physicians to ignore the walkout.
Although the O.M.A.'s dispute is with the government, fee for service
practitioners have private contracts with their individual patients,
that they will be reneging on. It is therefore inevitable that in
the short term the public will suffer, and in the long term Medicare
will be weakened.
At the moment the point of contention is physician remuneration,
but the MRG sees present the crisis as reflecting much long standing
and justified dissatisfaction that doctors have felt with many aspects
of Ontario's Medicare system, and any attempt at a lasting settlement
must address these wider issues. For example, the fee for service
method of payment itself has been criticized frequently as providing
little incentive for preventive health care, counselling, and health
education.
Many of these ills could be remedied by government action and we
would like to see them resolved through constructive discussions
that involve the government, representatives of the medical community
including the Medical Reform Group, and, where relevant, health
consumers.
As part of a long term solution, the MRG suggests the following:
1) The current impasse should be resolved by negotiation and if
an agreement cannot be reached, the dispute should be submitted
to an independent arbitrator, accents to both parties, whose decision
would be binding.
2) At that point, any physician dissatisfied with the final agreement
would have the right to charge a higher fee, but in that case neither
the physician nor their patient would be reimbursed for any part
of that fee by O.H.I.P.
3) The O.M.A. and the government must conduct present and future
negotiations in good faith, according to existing labour practise,
with the obligations and responsibilities of each side being clearly
defined. If the O.M.A. at some future date, does intend to use mass
action as a bargaining tool, they should consider reconstituting
themselves as a formal union with the ensuing benefits and responsibilities.
4) Part of the eventual settlement needs to include a full review
of methods of physician payment. Other ideas such as capitation
fees, salaries, and global budgeting have drawbacks, but need to
be considered as alternatives or supplements to the existing system.
5) The M.R.G. world like to see the Medical Profession, and its
representative bodies provide more of a lead in addressing the whole
range of problems that Medicare faces, rather than directing all
their energies towards one issue - in this case their own pay demands.
6) The MRG believes that any complaints regarding the conduct of
individual physicians during the work action should be dealt with
through the existing channels of the Royal College of Surgeons and
Physicians and not by the Government
7) Any patient who feels they have a grievance during the work
action should be encouraged to contact the Royal College directly.
Subject Headings: Abortion
Rights – Community
Health – Community
Health Centres – Drug
Substitution – Epidemiology
– Epidemiology/Community
Medicine – Health
Administration – Health
Care Budgets – Health
Care Cost Containment – Health
Care Costs – Health
Care Delivery – Health
Care Finance & Fund-Raising – Health
Care in Canada – Health
Care in Ontario – Health
Care in the U.K. – Health
Care in the U.S. – Health
Care Myths – Health
Care Reform – Health
Care Resources – Health
Care Services – Health
Care Workers – Health
Clinics – Health
Determinants – Health
Economics – Health
Expenditures – Health
Issues – Health
Policy – Health
Policy/Seniors – Health
Service Organizations – Health/Social
Justice Issues – Health
Statistics – Health/Strategic
Planning – History
– Hospitals
– Labour
Medicine – Medical
Associations – Medical
Costs/Foreign – Medical
Education – Medical
Ethics – Medical
Human Resources – Medical
Personnel – Medical
Research Funding – Medicare
– Medication
Use – Medication
Use/Seniors – NAFTA/Health
– Occupational
Health & Safety – Patients'
Rights – Pharmaceuticals
– Physician
Compensation – Physician
Human Resources – Pro-Choice
Issues – Public
Health – Publications/Health
– Social
Policy – Women's
Health
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