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.
For many months now we have been working to support members with respect to Alberta Health Services stipend payments. As members know, Alberta Health and Alberta Health Services have said they will be ending stipend contracts with over 120 groups of physicians on December 31. So far, there has been little productive discussion on developing agreeable, viable alternatives.
At the Fall Representative Forum, we received clear direction from RF delegates that the AMA needed to strongly – and publicly – advocate for a stronger response to the COVID-19 crisis Alberta is facing. In response to the most urgent motion passed at RF, we issued a media release on September 27 calling on government to institute a "fire-breaker," to aggressively control COVID-19 cases.
In this letter:
This President’s Letter is my last as AMA president and marks the official end of a term that was as unpredictable as it was eventful.
As you are aware, the 2021 Fall Representative Forum was held this past weekend and, unsurprisingly, COVID-19 and the current crisis we are facing in Alberta was a topic of major discussion. Delegates passed several related motions (I will update members on the details of these later), but I wanted to share with you the most urgent motion on which we have already taken action.
In this letter:
As reported in my Presidents Letters over the summer, government requested that the Alberta Medical Association submit a proposal for possible changes that would make the rejected Tentative Agreement Package (TAP) acceptable to physicians.
We are hearing more every day about the implications of the fourth wave of the pandemic and I wanted to update you.
In this letter:
I am writing to let you know about two decisions reached at a special meeting of the Board of Directors held on August 19.