Alberta Medical Association says delayed pay deal will hurt health-care system

An Alberta doctors' group says even though a new pay deal with the province is ready to be implemented, the government isn't putting its money where its mouth is.

Dr. Shelley Duggan, the Alberta Medical Association's new president, says doctors are worried the province's health-care system is on the verge of collapse, and the pay deal is still waiting on approval from the province's Treasury Board. Former association president Dr. Paul Parks says Premier Danielle Smith promised the deal by September and the delay is hurting the struggling health-care system. Parks says the government's work to break up the provincial health authority is sparking chaos and that creating multiple administrative layers could stifle co-ordination.

Health Minister Adriana LaGrange recently said the government is committed to getting a fair and sustainable compensation model for primary care physicians. Late last year, Smith announced $200 million in federal funding over two years to help physicians keep their practices open, with the province rolling out another $57 million in February.