Rebuilding trust with P.E.I.'s doctors a top priority, says health minister

Less than a month into the job, acting Health Minister Cory Deagle says repairing the P.E.I. government's relationship with doctors is one of his top priorities.

In recent weeks, three family physicians — Dr. Heather Austin, Dr. Andrew MacLeod and Dr. Mitchell Stewart — have each informed Health P.E.I. of their decision to either resign or retire, which will leave about 4,500 patients without a primary care provider.

Austin, in particular, has spoken publicly about her decision to close her practice by summer 2028, saying it stems from concerns about how Health P.E.I. is treating family physicians.

One of the boiling points has been the new Physician Services Agreement, the province’s contract with doctors, which physicians supported at first but have since raised concerns about how Health P.E.I. wants to implement it.

"I do believe that if we can all come to the table and work on the implementation of this agreement, we agree that the agreement is good, it's strong, but the implementation of it hasn't gone as we would have liked,” Deagle told CBC News: Compass host Louise Martin.

“We really need to bring physicians and the medical society back to the table to help with the implementation, so that their concerns are actually taken seriously.”

Austin has said the intention was for three parties — the Medical Society of P.E.I., the provincial Department of Health and Wellness and Health P.E.I. — to roll out the agreement collaboratively. Instead, she said, Health P.E.I. has acted as though it is the “sole proprietor.”

Austin has also raised concerns about the implementation of an agreement announced in December between the same three parties.

She has said she and some other doctors are not opposed to the agreement itself, but are worried about how it is being put in place, particularly when it comes to the administrative burden it could place on physicians.

“It's the implementation of this agreement that we have to fix," Deagle said. "We have to press reset on the implementation of this now, whether that's extending the deadline for when this will all come into place so that we can work with physicians."

Deagle added that he has met with both Austin and Stewart, along with other physicians, to hear their concerns and feedback. He also met this week with the Medical Society of P.E.I.

“As I said to them, it'll take time," he said. "You can't just rebuild trust in, you know, one week, in two weeks. It's going to take time, and we have to show action too.”

Meanwhile, Health P.E.I. has announced it is establishing an advisory panel to hear from physicians. The panel is expected to convene by the end of March and conclude by Aug. 31, and will be made up of “Health P.E.I. publicly-appointed board members.”