WATCH: Three of Vancouver Island’s top hospital-based doctors were suspended over the weekend. The Island Health Authority says they violated the code of conduct but as Kylie Stanton reports, the doctors say it’s intimidation at the expense of patient care.

A contract dispute between the Vancouver Island Health Authority and doctors at Victoria’s two major hospitals has intensified.

Three top doctors were suspended over the weekend.

They have been working with no guarantee of payment since their latest contract expired at the end of February and they have been unable to reach a long-term deal with the health authority.

The doctors say the suspensions are just an intimidation tactic at the expense of patient care.

One of doctors who was recently suspended, Dr. Wayne DeMott, spoke on BC1 earlier this afternoon.

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WATCH: Doctor Wayne DeMott, one of the three doctors who was recently suspended as the result of a contract dispute, talks to Sonia Sunger on Upfront.

DeMott says their contract was cancelled last Sunday, and their jobs have been posted since February, but as far as he knows, no one has applied.

He says despite the suspensions, they continue to care for patients, even though there is no certainty that any one of them will be paid for their work.

“Many physicians are feeling bullied and harassed, having very difficult conversations with administration,” says DeMott. “We are doctors. We want to get back into our positions and continue the care: we have over 400 patients on our rosters at the two hospitals, the Royal Jubilee and Victoria General. We want to get back to looking after all those patients in a usual way. Right now, we are managing on skeleton staff to make sure the patients are safe.”

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Vancouver Island Health Authority has released a statement to Global News saying they have been “compelled to take disciplinary action against a small number of individual physicians for violations of Island Health rules of conduct.”

Out of respect for the privacy of the individuals involved, Island Health will not identify the individuals or provide details of the circumstances. This action does not reflect the good work that is being performed by the vast majority of physicians. We truly value our physicians, and we are confident they will continue to provide excellent care for all patients. We can reassure the public that safe and appropriate care will continue to be provided within our hospitals – we have backup physicians and anyone who requires care can rest assured they will get the care they need. Tweet This

DeMott says he has not had any correspondence or communication with the Vancouver Island Health Authority so far.

He says he was unceremoniously escorted off the property and his access card has been revoked.

Even though the Vancouver Island Health Authority did promise him his patients would be looked after, DeMott says “[they] are very concerned about the situation and are asking Island Health to return to the negotiation table.”