Canmore doctors spoke out against the recent cuts announced by Health Minister Shandro, saying they seriously jeopardize the healthcare system and threaten the safety of their patients.

Dr. Cathryn Zapf, a family GP at the Paleo Medical Clinic in Canmore, said she has no other choice but to close her clinic following the announcement of the recent cuts.

“Overheads are high in Alberta. We have to pay for leases, staff and equipment. A large proportion of our fees go to pay for this, so with an income cut between 30-40 per cent it is not feasible to continue working in Canmore. This is going to pose a risk to my active 1,100 patients as they will have to find another doctor who will be facing the same problems, or they will have to travel to see me in Calgary where I am forced to relocate,” said Dr. Zapt.

Dr. Liana Hwang, a Family Physician at Mountain Maternity and Family Medicine, Canmore also spoke out in an open letter to her patients on Facebook in light of the cuts.

“I have been a family doctor and GP surgeon in the Bow Valley for almost 13 years. I see firsthand every day that the downturn in Alberta’s economy has resulted in hardship for so many families. I understand that cuts are necessary. In our last round of negotiations with the government, physicians voluntarily found $250 million/year of savings.

“When negotiations began again in November 2019, Alberta doctors proposed an across the board fee decrease which would have saved $150 million/year and we were working on plans for further savings while minimizing the impact on our patients. We then found out through the media that Minister Shandro had terminated negotiations, torn up our existing contract and unilaterally imposed drastic changes which mainly target family doctors.

“Minister Shandro’s cuts effectively disincentivize physicians from spending more than 10 minutes with their patients. I am heartsick at the thought of having to choose between running a financially viable small business, or giving my patients the time that they need and deserve.

“I treasure the long-term relationships that I have built with my patients over the years. Those relationships took time to build. Practicing safe, comprehensive and thorough medicine takes time,” said Hwang.

Speaking Friday in Calgary, the Premier responded to concerns raised by physicians after the UCP government terminated its funding contract with the Alberta Medical Association the day prior and announced it would impose 11 changes in an effort to control rising health-care costs.

The province would have hit $2 billion in cost overruns in the next three years without significant changes, Health Minister Tyler Shandro said Thursday.

“We honour and respect those physicians, our medical practitioners, as well as our nurses and everybody in our health system,” Kenney told reporters during a news conference at the Glenbow Museum.

“But we cannot allow that physician compensation to continue to grow much, much faster than our population or than inflation at a time of real fiscal and economic challenge. So we are turning to our great doctors to say, ‘Please work with us to find a more efficient way of delivering services,” said Kenny.

The province’s contract with doctors had been set to expire at the end of March.

But negotiations between the AMA and UCP government broke down last week following a mediation session deemed unsuccessful by both sides. With no agreement reached through negotiations, the province decided to instead implement terms of its final offer.

The new funding framework will take effect March 31.

It includes a change that requires doctors to see a “complex” patient for at least 25 minutes — up from 15 — before they can tack on an extra fee of $18. That amendment will be phased in by April 2021, with doctors able to bill $9 on top of a base fee for visits that last longer than 15 minutes for the first year.

The head of the Alberta Medical Association said the organization will fight the new pay and benefits deal in court.