The Ontario Medical Association (OMA) believes a nearly two-thirds vote against the province's tentative agreement with physicians should send a clear message to the Ministry of Health.
OMA reps were voting on a four-year deal between physicians and the provincial government. Results showed 63% of participating doctors disapproved of the proposed contract. The agreement would have seen Ontario's $11.5-billion budget increased by 2.5% in each of the four years.
But OMA reps say that isn't enough.
"We are not going to decide not to treat somebody because we reached that 2.5% cap the government agreed to fund," says District 1 Chair and Chatham surgeon Dr. Nadine Yammine. "The growth is expected to be significantly more than that. We cannot control utilization and we cannot control who is going to be sick."
Reports say 55% of OMA members participated in the vote. While Yammine hoped that number would be higher, she says
OMA District 1 Chair and Chatham surgeon Dr. Nadine Yammine says the ministry didn't give the OMA much to work with.
"The agreement they put out was a six-page agreement with very little detail," says Yammine. "Many physicians argue that is not enough to commit to for the next four years."
Physicians were also concerned that the proposed deal made no mention of binding arbitration going forward.
The OMA Board of Directors will meet, and Yammine says they also plan to consult physicians to identify their specific priorities for a new deal.
She adds they've already requested a meeting with the Ontario Government to discuss clear terms for a new agreement.
