B.C. doctors ratify 4-year deal with rural care pay bump
New agreement increases funding for physicians in underserved areas and adds premiums for after-hours work.
The day's top stories, food & events — every morning at 7. Unsubscribe anytime.
B.C.'s doctors have ratified a new four-year labour agreement with the province that increases funding for practitioners in areas of need and addresses income disparities across the health-care system.
Doctors will receive boosted funding for working in rural communities, delivering maternity care as family doctors, and providing gynecological, pediatric, psychiatric, and forensic services. The deal also introduces a new premium for elective surgeries scheduled on evenings, weekends, and statutory holidays, plus increased pay for on-call work.
The province agreed to continue improving the Longitudinal Family Physician Payment Model, a system launched in 2023 that compensates doctors based on time spent with patients and case complexity.
The agreement passed with 91.8 per cent support among the 4,292 voting physicians. "Our health care system is under enormous strain, and this agreement will help support doctors in delivering the best possible care," said Doctors of BC President Adam Thompson. The deal aims to help address pressures in a system that has struggled to retain practitioners in rural areas and retain doctors in specialties facing shortages.