Hundreds of millions already paid to general practitioners

Nicolas Lachance

Saturday, 24 February, 2018 00:00

UPDATE
Saturday, 24 February, 2018 00:00

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Doctors general practitioners are more affluent 328,6 M$ since Friday, when they received the first lump-sum payment provided in their agreement with the government. A first amount higher than expected.

The Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ) issued Friday near 9300 cheques to general practitioners for budget periods between 2014 and the first quarter of 2017 and 2018. These amounts are provided for in an amendment to the renewal of the general agreement entered into by the government and the general practitioners last summer.

Are added?

Of are seem will be added to the amount provided by the treasury Board Secretariat. For example, a new amount of$ 75 Million appeared in a letter of agreement for the acts committed by doctors during the year 2014-2015. This amount was paid yesterday, while, according to the initial agreement, the wage increase retroactive was due to start in 2015.

In total, Quebec has to pay approximately $ 1.6 billion by 2023 to general practitioners. In addition to the annual increase of 1.8 %, according to the government of Québec, an amount of 635 M$ spread out until 2023 is planned. First$ 135 Million of this fee was to be paid in the first two years, and another 500 million spread out until 2023.

However, the RAMQ has sent a notice to general practitioners Thursday, announcing that a cheque would be paid as soon as Friday, according to three letters of agreement. The paper seen by The Newspaper shows that the amount paid reached$ 328 Million. It is an average of 4.7 % of the compensation paid to physicians for services provided during these years of practice (2014 in the first quarter of 2017 and 2018).

The amount is allocated according to salary and years worked are included in the letters of agreement. Even the retired physicians have the right to their share of the cake.

“There are amounts that have been paid. It’s the date of the agreement, ” said Jean-Pierre Dion, the communications director for the Fédération des médecins omnipraticiens du Québec (FMOQ). “These are the amounts that the government had deferred, and the doctors had never affected, and which were agreed upon since a long time. “

Dion admits that the result of the general agreement, there have been new letters for each measurement, which would explain what appears to be an addition of$ 75 Million for 2014. “There are hundreds of letters of understanding, but arises from the general agreement “, he mentioned.

Salaries criticized

With this signature, the general practitioners wanted to reduce the gap between their wages and those of medical specialists of Quebec. Last week, a new agreement with the experts resulted in a cataclysm in the media. The $ 2 billion granted to specialists have been heavily criticised in the population.

Because of all this brouhaha, several general practitioners have pointed out in the Journal and on the social networks that they are “ashamed” of the amount that was paid Friday.

According to the office of the minister Pierre Arcand, president of the treasury Board, it is not new money. The money is part of the amounts due to general practitioners.