B.C. doctors sign four-year deal with government amid criticism from colleagues

VANCOUVER – B.C. doctors have accepted a four-year contract with the provincial government, but not all physicians are happy with the new deal.

The BC Medical Association, which negotiates on behalf of doctors, says 92 per cent of the 3,077 members who cast their ballots voted in favour of the agreement.

The contract means doctors’ fees will climb by half a per cent this year and in 2013, and then talks will resume to set fees for the last two years.

Association president Dr. Shelley Ross says the deal will also fund programs addressing chronic disease, mental health, rural medical services, and seniors’ programs.

But past association board member Dr. Dennis Karpiak criticized the deal, saying the issue of a growing bureaucracy in the health-care system is stripping money from patient services and hasn’t been addressed.

According to its website, the BC Medical Association has more than 11,000 members, and about 8,500 of them still practise medicine.