Adriana LaGrange speaks during a government announcement in 2021. (Chris Schwarz/Government of Alberta)

By Canadian Press

Alberta close to deal to recruit and retain family doctors, health minister says

Apr 17, 2024 | 1:14 PM

Alberta’s health minister says they are closing in on a new pay-deal for family doctors that she says will help recruit and retain more physicians.

Adriana LaGragne says the goal is to create more access to primary care for more Albertans.

Details and costs of the deal are yet to be hammered out, but the plan is to see doctors paid based on metrics like how many patients they see and how many hours they work.

Dr. Paul Parks, who speaks for doctors as the head of the Alberta Medical Association, says it’s an encouraging development.

But Parks says he wants to make sure that doctors who don’t take on large numbers of patients because they want to provide more comprehensive care are not excluded.

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Parks says the province understands it has to find a way to increase money for all doctors.

Premier Danielle Smith has promised that every Albertan will have a primary health provider by the next election, expected in 2027.