The agreement with the doctors and specialists could be more expensive?

Photo Fotolia

QMI agency

Monday, 12 February 2018 16:23

UPDATE
Monday, 12 February 2018 16:23

Look at this article

The agreement reached between the Fédération des médecins spécialistes du Québec (FMSQ) and the government may not be more expensive than anticipated for taxpayers.

However, it is not excluded that increases to make up the wage gap with the physicians in the rest of Canada can occur.

Pay increases similar had been granted to it specialists, among others, 10 years ago. These increases could be the object of a catch-up.

The agreement with the medical specialists has not been disclosed because it is confidential. It can be only when both parties have signed.

The prime minister Philippe Couillard said Sunday, that thanks to this new agreement, there would be more access to medical imaging services and possibly less of the “broken coverage”, which means that medical specialists would always be available.

The details of the agreement last February 9 could be unveiled in a few weeks.

The government and the FMSQ sought to agree on the application of the act 20, which provides for penalties of up to 30% of the income for physicians who do not achieve certain performance targets. The FMSQ challenged also the scope of the law 130, which allows the directions of the hospitals to punish doctors who do not meet the needs of institutions.

Recall that in December, Philippe Couillard had withdrawn to Gaétan Barrette the mandate to negotiate an agreement with the specialist doctors on their working conditions, preferring to entrust the task to the chief government negotiator, Maurice Charlebois, and the outgoing secretary-general, Roberto Iglesias.