April

Dr Rafi-Zadeh has been perusing the latest financial statements of the MSC, otherwise known as “The Blue Book of Envy and Resentment” [BCMJ 2013;55:8-9]. I can remember when this book was first published at the behest of Premier W.A.C. Bennett in 1971, and one of the first copies reached the hands of Jack Webster, the feisty Scottish talk show host of CKNW.

After 30 years in practice and 4 years working at a high level of health administration, I realize that our system of physician remuneration is out of touch with the realities of modern hospital-based practice. There is wide­spread frustration among specialist physicians as the increasing shortage of resources prevents them from working to their full potential and earning capacity. Future investments in health care will be in treating chronic disease, elder care, and health promotion—not acute care.

First I would like to emphasize that the following are my personal opinions, and I make no claim with respect to any official position of the BCMA.

Proper governance rests on adherence to our constitution and bylaws and a commitment to rules of procedure. It is contingent on duties of care, loyalty and obedience, properly applied constraints, and on disclosure, transparency, and accountability. All this requires a culture that promotes learning, objectives, risk taking, achievement, fairness, and criticism consistent with our shared values. From this, we must not shy away.

I would like to respond to Dr Jim Bus­ser’s letter published this month and to the letter by Dr Busser and Dr Webb published in the January-February issue [Rebooting the BCMA. BCMJ 2013;55(1):10]. 

In their letters, Dr Busser and Dr Webb are asking you to vote for two proposed bylaw changes that, in my personal view, will hurt the Board’s ability to fairly represent you, the member.

On 22 February Health Minister Margaret MacDiarmid and BCMA President Dr Shelley Ross announced the provincial rollout of funding for the attachment initiative, sometimes referred to as “A GP for Me.” 

Funding will be available as of 1 April on two levels: to divisions of family practice to begin the work of increasing primary care capacity local­ly, and to individual family physician practices in the form of new fees to recognize and support the provision of longitudinal care.