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.
This afternoon I joined Minister of Health Adriana LaGrange and Premier Danielle Smith at a news conference to announce that government will apply $100 million to immediate stabilization of family and rural generalist physician practices.
The calendar year may be running down but our advocacy to urgently stabilize family physician and rural generalist practices is still at full throttle. As you know, intense discussions have been underway for weeks.
Our AMA agreement includes a letter of commitment for restoration of Good Faith claims, but the terms were not something that physicians could live with. Between the burdensome manual process and gaps in coverage for patients, it just wasn’t going to fly.
AMA members are fully behind our fierce advocacy for primary care and our efforts to save and support family physician and rural generalist clinics. Everyone agrees the system has no future without this foundation.
There is a lot going on! It can be challenging to keep members well informed about all that we are doing, so we’ve created a page on the website with a list of the key activities currently underway and what’s happening in each, including primary and acute care, agreement implementation and the health system reorganization.
Earlier this month, the Minister of Health announced a plan for what is being referred to as the Health System Refocus. I provided some information on this development in an earlier President’s Letter, and I have been actively engaged with government, AMA members and the media discussing some of the pros – and a lot of the potential cons – of this approach.
In the time frame of Budget 2024, Minister LaGrange has committed to stabilization and restoration of family medicine and rural generalist care.
Yesterday we cut through the fog created by government about who provides primary care in Alberta. Our colleagues across the health care spectrum deserve respect and support.
In February the government will introduce its budget for the 2024-25 fiscal year, and we are working to ensure that commitments made to support family medicine and rural generalists form part of the priorities that are included in that plan.
The Local Doctors, Local Issues tour has allowed me to engage with hundreds of physicians across the province and I continue to be impressed by your passion and insight. Wednesday night nearly 400 members joined our virtual town hall.