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March 25, 1997
(Health)


The following statement was issued today by Lloyd Matthews, Minister of Health. It was also read in the House of Assembly:

Two years ago, government announced an incentive package for the recruitment and retention of rural doctors. Part of that incentive package included bonuses for salaried general practitioners who committed to a minimum of two years service in a designated rural area of the province.

Mr. Speaker, effective April 1, 1997, government will fulfill its commitment and pay out $700,000 in bonuses to 55 eligible doctors. There are a further eight physicians who will be eligible to receive the bonus in this fiscal year and another 13 will be eligible in fiscal year 1998/99.

I would also like to inform Honourable members that government will extend the bonus system to include specialists working in designated rural areas of Newfoundland and Labrador. Over the next two years, government will provide bonuses to 22 specialists working in rural areas of the province. In total, more than $1 million in bonuses will be paid to our rural doctors by the end of fiscal year 1998/99.

Mr. Speaker, recruitment and retention of physicians to rural parts of the province is one of government's highest priorities. On Thursday, government announced a $2.6 million increase for salaried physicians in rural Newfoundland. This salaried increase, in conjunction with the bonus system, will allow us to be more competitive with other jurisdictions in Canada.

Government is committed to preserving and protecting access to medical services in rural Newfoundland by using the resources allocated for payment of physicians in a more efficient manner, and by addressing all of the other issues and concerns of rural doctors. Government, together with the Newfoundland and Labrador Medical Association and the Newfoundland and Labrador Health Care Association will now work toward a comprehensive plan for recruitment and retention of rural physicians.

1997 03 24 3:25 p.m.

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