A Commentary by Doug Draper
Say what you want about Ontario’s Health Minister Deb Matthews.
Ontario Health Minister Deb Matthews, being crapped on by the province's doctors now
There are a good number of people across this Niagara region – this columnist included – who has had their beefs with Matthews over the Niagara Health System, and almost anything else that has to do with health care in Ontario.
But let’s at least give Matthews credit for asking for a wee bit of restraint from our doctors – a group or professionals who most if not all of us have a great deal of respect for, but who have not done too badly during a pretty economically depressed decade with salaries now averaging $362,000 and ones that have increase.
Total salaries for doctors today are costing the province $11 billion annually, compared to $5.9 billion eight years ago when the Liberal government of Premier Dalton McGuinty took power. Organizations putting themselves forward as non-partisan citizen groups like the Ontario Health Coalition that constantly crap on the Liberals for not investing enough in health care in this province might want to think about that. In the last four years alone, the average salary of doctors in Ontario has bounced by about 50 per cent.
One might ask groups like the Ontario Health Coalition how they would spend what few health dollars are out there given the fact that the province is up to its neck in debt. And the more money that goes to increases for doctors’ wages necessarily means less money for nursing and home care, and all of the other health care services people need.
So Matthews is now reportedly facing a fight with doctors in the province and their powerful Ontario Medical Association which, according to an article this April 13 in The Globe and Mail, means that “each doctor’s pay would decline by almost 16 per cent if total funding for services was capped at current rates over four years.”
And according to Matthews, who actually did (and you have got to give her a few points for this) participate in an interview on CBC radio this April 13 when many other cabinet ministers, provincially and federally, simply said ‘they were busy’) … Matthews said, during that interview, that she respects Ontario’s doctors as some of the best in the world, but is hoping they will share in a bit of the pain other people who are working or have recently lost their jobs are experiencing.
Are they willing to participate in a shared sacrifice? According to CBC reports and the Globe and Mail story this April 13, it doesn’t seem so.
“I cannot look a senior citizen in the eye and say, ‘Sorry you’re going to have to make do with less, because I decided instead to give physicians a raise. ‘I’m not going to do that.’”
Those were noble words coming from Ontario’s health minister. They should be backed up by the province NDP and by the Conservatives, whose leader, Tim Hudak, wants to defeat the government because it won’t give more tax cuts to the rich or what he calls ‘job creators’.
As much as you might want to dump on Matthews most of the time, surely she deserves some support for asking for a bit of restraint from doctors on their pay this time. Doesn’t she?
(Niagara At Large invites you, if you are brave enogh to share your name with your comments, to do so below.)
Niagara At Large 
I agree with the comment that the doctors should share in the overall financial restraint. But to me, the best way to begin that restraint is by putting massive restrictions on the amount that is being paid to hospital administrators (both doctors and non-doctors). Far too much of our health care dollar goes to people who do not provide any direct benefit to patient care! The next step would be for an independent review of hospital administration – to weed out all the dead wood that remains. The first to go should be the LHINs … hospitals should be controlled by the community they serve!
I could go on and on … but there is no sense in doing so. As long as McGuinty is in power, he will not do anything to undo the damage done by George Smitherman!
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Canadian Health Transfers (CHT) from the federal government to the provinces have been diminishing for years. Ottawa used to provide half the funding for health care in the provinces, but transfers have steadily declined to about 20%. With the new budget, health care transfers will be reduced much further. Additionally, the new omnibus crime bill will cost ON about $1 billion dollars. Meanwhile, our manufacturing base has been decimated. It seems clear that we’re being set up for alternate, more expensive, and less efficient models. Once again, present and future generations will bear the burden.
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I would like to add my two cents here in defence the MDs. I realize most make a very good buck. One must also keep in mind however, that they have offices and equipment to pay for, staff to hire, book keepers to maintain accurate records and many other expenses not often recognized by the rest of us. They have to maintain their own retirement funds. They have to pay malpractice insurance which, in some cases, is exorbitant. Most have immense educational debts that take years to pay off. In addition, many work six or more days a week. I know my doc has office hours for six days per week. They are often on call and in-hospital doctors seldom have the luxury of saying, “Oh, it’s Christmas, I’m not available.” In the case of MD’s we often do lose the “best and brightest” to the US where they can make even bigger money.
Many of these men and women sacrifice their family lives for their job. I for one would not want their job. I have seen many go home after 20 or more hours on duty or in surgery absolutely exhausted. Sure some are what I call drive-by docs. They drive by the hospital and charge for a visit…an exaggeration of course, but some are greedy and charge for a visit that is no more than saying “hello”. These ones are rare however.
Just as in all professions there are good and bad but, as a whole, I don’t think many in the general public would be willing to do the job they do nor have the ability to do it. They don’t walk on water as some once believed but do deserve our respect.
That being said, I think MDs would be willing to do their bit to decrease the deficit. One group of doctors has even suggested their taxes be increased. The problem with all of this is that the money saved, however it is done, is simply wasted by these “burro”crats on stupid garbage. I think the problem with the deficit, including health care, is not lack of funds but rather abuse of funds and perpetual waste at the government level.
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I think Deb Matthews is trying to make the doctors appear to be greedy. It’s just politics. Very few new family doctors in the Niagara region want to have hospital privileges. Next time you see you family doctor, ask them if they have privileges? Last week it was the teachers, this week the doctors, who will be the bad people next week?
I can’t give credit to Ms. Matthews for being interviewed by the CBC, she should give interviews. As far as “looking a senior in they eye…”, like that really happens. She is a brillant politician! I think I just gave her a backhanded compliment.
Doctors pay insurance to The Canadian Medical Protective Association. Check it out on line, if you do you won’t feel to sorry for doctors.
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Right on – Linda McKellar — Right on !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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When I drive down the road and see 5 unionised public service workers at a work site I shake my head because most often 4 of them are standing idle while only 1 is at work – I’d rather pay the Doctors
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Doctors also have a “union”, the OMA. Some doctors see the value in paying more taxes, because they know that inequality,where the poor get poorer, and the rich get richer, leads inevitably to a less healthy society. The attack on unions is also an attack on the middle class, and the middle class is losing ground day by day in this country. Unions are evolving with the times, but some of the negative stereotypes hurt the people who need unions the most. The Harper government is currently attacking unions with its attack on the public service. When unions lose ground, the 99% loses gound, and the 1% gains ground. Unfortunately, therin lies the problem: the 1% get richer, and the poor get poorer, to the detriment of this country. It’s ironic that those in the lower tax brackets often vote for political parties that disempower them and keep them in the lower salary ranges. This, of course, is exactly what the 1% wants.
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It would appear that a lot of salaries and costs across the board went up during McGuinty’s reign of terror, Health costs included. What do we have to show for it is the biggest question which unfortunately from my perspective is absolutely nothing!
How I wish the Auditor of Ontario were given more control over how the government is governed!
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Mark, we have to get more poor people to the voting booth. I have worked in almost every election since the mid 1990s and have when working on the sheets at the end of the day found that polls located in low income neighbourhoods had very few people turning up to vote, while wealthy neighbourhoods have in the neighbourhood of 80 – 90% of their residents turning up to vote either in the advanced polls or on election day. This is why governments that favour wealthy persons tends to get elected and sadly on “majorities” of 37 – 40% of popular vote. To change this, we have to provide some kind of voter education of sorts that would encourage low income people to organize their own forums, ask questions of the various candidates, and find a way to vote together en bloc. Because of the low voter turnout among the poor, unfortunately politicians do not prioritize the important things that are eventually going to affect all of us, regardless of where we sit in the economic spectrum.
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Agreed, and certain parties would prefer that potential voters not vote, hence, voter suppression tactics etc.
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I was a front line worker in Health Care. I Worked in Home Care, Psychiatric Homes based in the Community and Long Term Care Facilities across Niagara. I also am an Injured Worker, and a patient! I had one injury at work which has been covered by WSIB then contracted Fibromyalgia from my Cervical Neck Injury, then had another work injury, in my lower back, which was also covered by WSIB. My workplace removed me from the workplace, on an non-occupational injury status which, I was placed in a modified work back to work program, covered by WSIB, Then sent me for a FAE (Functional Capabilities Assessment.) It stated I could no longer do my Job, I was 5lbs off of passing due to my neck injury… Anyways to make a long story of going through this for 6Yrs and still fighting, I have been to the Emergency Dept accross Niagara as well as been sent to many specialists. Within those visits, there has been long wait times, both in the Emerg Dept, waiting to see specialists, and tests that needed to be performed. I have seen my Family Doctor on several occasions, all he can do is give me meds… On that note, Deb Mathews states that, there has been an increase in Health Care Spending, well if there has then why are the Services Lacking in Ontario? Services have decreased, in home Care, hours for Nursing have declined, In the Facilities, Nursing Staff has decreased which was the reason behind my injuries, working skeleton staffed and then when someone calls in, working even shorter… With all this said the Health Care given to the Patients have decreased largely, actually to the point that is has become a Human Rights Issue against the patients living in these conditions, so why are our Doctors leaving and going to Foreign Countiries… Well I have researched that as well, yes in some cases not all cases they get more money but most of all they are free to treat their patients, with whatever is needed to do so, where here in Canada they cannot do that, they are Regulated in what they can do…They are not curing a lot of Patients here, they are band-aiding every disease, keeping people sick, Our Heath Care System is good if you want to die, not to survive… If you are a Doctor and care about your patients you want to see your patients get better not to continue to be sick and die… This works on a Doctors mind at the end of their hard worked challenging days. In conclusion to all of this, we have less of everything, but an increase in funding, my question is, if we have an increase then where is this funding going, how is it being distributed and how can there be clawbacks in the Health Care System, from Nursing Services and closing of Emerg Depts? Does not make sense! What we need to do is get rid of the LHIN, it is proven that they really are no good for nothing, let the communities govern, make the federal government give back the funding that they took away. People are dieing everyday unecessarily! I am a victim of the Health Care System. I had a Doctor, Specialist tell me if I had better care when my injury first happened I would not be is such a bad health state now as everyhting in progressing in my Cervical Spine. I also too would not be living in Poverty and getting sicker. Poverty also makes people sick, due to lack of nutrition and not being psycholoically able to cope with pain…
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Mark, do you think we should be doing some robo calls or something to get people TO the polls as opposed to discouraging them? 😉
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