Over 800 Canadian doctors reject pay raises, say they already earn too much

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While thousands of workers around the world protest for higher wages, more than 800 doctors in Canada are protesting their own pay raises.

The doctors belong to Médecins Québécois pour le Regime Public (MQRP), a public group of physicians from various regions of Quebec who advocate for the full implementation of the Canada Health Act.

The MQRP took to their official website to oppose the recent salary increase as negotiated by Canada’s medical federations.

“These increases are all the more shocking because our nurses, clerks, and other professionals face very difficult working conditions, while our patients live with the lack of access to required services because of the drastic cuts in recent years, and the centralization of powering the Ministry of Health,” wrote MQRP last Feb. 28. “The only thing that seems to be immune to the cuts is our remuneration.”

The Quebec doctors then asked that the pay raises granted to them be revoked and given instead to other healthcare workers: “We, Quebec doctors, are asking that the salary increases granted to physicians be canceled and that the resources of the system be better distributed for the good of the health care workers and to provide health services worthy to the people of Quebec.”

It is known that last Feb. 1, the MQRP also published a letter denouncing the working conditions of Quebec nurses and the lack of respect of the government towards them. They have also opposed last Feb. 17 the $500 million worth of pay increases for specialist doctors, which they called “indecent in a context where it lacks funds in so many sectors of the public health system.”

“MQRP advocates for the improvement of our public health system, working conditions for all health professionals with better inter professional collaboration,” the group stressed. “That’s how better patient care will be delivered, not by raising the salaries of already high-paying doctors.” JB

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