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Details of doctors' deal stay secret

Four-year agreement not for public release

By: Larry Kusch

Posted: 10/13/2011 1:00 AM | Comments: 0

Colin Craig of taxpayers federation (KEN GIGLIOTTI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS ARCHIVES) Photo Store

Taxpayers may be footing the bill, but they're not allowed to see the full details of a four-year master agreement between the province and its doctors.

The deal, ratified Oct. 4, increases the province's funding for medical services by $125 million between now and April 1, 2015, according to a news release issued last week. It also boosts doctors' general fees by 10.6 per cent over the length of the agreement.

The Free Press was rebuffed when it tried to get a copy.

The master agreement is said to be more than 1,000 pages long. It includes payment schedules for a host of procedures, including new tariffs for chronic disease management that the province says will enable doctors to spend more time with such patients.

It also includes incentives to keep doctors in Manitoba, a promise to keep physician pay here competitive with other provinces, and many other provisions.

But neither the physician group, Doctors Manitoba, nor the Department of Health, wants to cough up the details. So far, they've only provided a little more than a page of information in a joint news release issued Friday.

"I checked with the department and was advised that the province does not release the master agreement to the public so we're unfortunately unable to meet your request," a spokeswoman said.

The refrain was same from the doctors: "Doctors Manitoba is not making the agreement available, or elaborating/commenting on any aspect, beyond what was in the government news release," spokeswoman Debbie Bride said.

On Wednesday, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation and the provincial Conservatives blasted the secrecy.

"The taxpayers are getting the bill. We just don't get the details," federation spokesman Colin Craig said.

"It doesn't seem right," Craig added, noting, for instance, the public can view on the City of Winnipeg website payments to private firms that do tendered work for the city.

Conservative health critic Myrna Driedger said it's difficult to hold the government accountable for its actions when it fails to provide information.

"I think it's typical of the lack of transparency by the NDP," Driedger said.

"It's taxpayers' money. It makes me wonder what they're hiding."

The government could not provide a ballpark estimate of how much the four-year deal is worth on Wednesday.

"The department doesn't have a figure that I can provide today, but they're working on pulling some info for your request," the spokeswoman said in an email.

larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition October 13, 2011 A7

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