Alberta’s Health Minister is rolling back some billing changes and adding extra cash for rural doctors.
Tyler Shandro says his $81-million announcement includes adding cash top-ups to doctors who work in rural and remote areas.
The change comes as some rural doctors across Alberta have recently announced they are cancelling hospital duties due to funding changes imposed by Mr. Shandro earlier this year.
The doctors have said those changes make it uneconomical to work in hospitals, affecting everything from emergency care to baby delivery in rural areas.
Mr. Shandro addressed their core concerns, saying he is now allowing rural doctors to once again charge overhead for hospital work, and that the same policy is now on hold for urban doctors.
He is also reversing a decision to reduce the provincial subsidy for medical liabilities, which rural doctors have said made it impossible to pay for coverage to work in obstetrics.
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