Alberta’s health system is under extraordinary pressure. Physicians are feeling that pressure across the system, but the fundamental question for Albertans remains simple: can patients get the care they need, when they need it?
Primary care – The foundation we cannot afford to weaken
The AMA's second annual State of Health Care report shows Albertans are confident in the quality and skill of their physicians and health care teams, but have less confidence in the system's ability to provide timely access to care when and where it's needed.
Today, government announced a $172.3 million investment in physician compensation as part of the final year of the current Master Agreement (2022-26).
Last week, you should have received a link to complete the latest AMA Member Tracking Survey. I encourage you to take a few minutes to share your experience. Your feedback gives us timely insight into the realities you are facing in practice and helps ensure our advocacy, priorities and member support reflect what physicians are experiencing right now.
Over the past several months, many of you have raised important questions about what expanded dual practice could mean for patients, physicians and the future of our publicly funded health care system — especially since Bill 11 (Health Statutes Amendment Act, 2025 (No. 2)) was introduced.
Below you will find previous issues of The President's Letter. For older issues no longer on the website, contact us.
I am pleased to inform you that last week, after being without a contract since 2018, our colleagues in laboratory medicine voted yes to a new agreement with Alberta Precision Laboratories, effective April 1, 2022.
Yesterday the government announced plans to restrict access to gender-affirming treatments for pediatric trans patients. I immediately consulted with the Section of Pediatrics for the expertise these colleagues can bring regarding these vulnerable patients.
Last week we released disturbing survey results including that 61% of family and rural generalist physicians are contemplating early retirement or relocation, while one in five fear they can’t maintain their clinics more than six months.
Our news conference on Tuesday about the crisis in family medicine received excellent media coverage. You can review the news conference recording (or watch the Q&A session) as we highlighted new data measuring the extreme financial instability and threat to viability facing family and rural generalist physician practices.
We were pleased to see the Alberta Health Bulletin issued earlier today announcing that enhanced virtual care codes for mental health services provided are now live.
The situation in family and rural medicine isn’t just bad – it's dire. That’s what I told reporters earlier today at a news conference we held to share the results of last week’s survey of family and rural generalist physicians regarding the state of their practices and finances.
Through the holiday season and into this early new year, we have advocated ceaselessly for your needs with government, in the media and through social media.
As you know, we’ve been advocating intensely and continuously to stabilize family and rural generalist practices in Alberta. I also promised you that there would be more information coming about AMA proposals to government to address the parallel crisis in acute care.
The AMA has been advocating ceaselessly for virtual code changes to be implemented as promised under our agreement. Our mental health system is in deep and increasing distress. Making it possible for physicians to provide a broader scope of virtual care to these patients is not only logical, it’s essential.
There are two things I wanted you to see before 2023 comes to an end.