By Grant Warkentin
BC’s problems attracting and retaining doctors are only going to get worse under new rules, says North Island MLA and health critic Anna Kindy.
“The doctors of BC have been pushing against the Health Professions and Occupations Act (HPOA) for years. It was drafted with little or no consultation with the front lines,” Kindy said in Question Period on April 1. “I’ve heard from hundreds of health professionals concerning the Health Professions and Occupations Act.
“They’re telling me they are planning to take early retirement or leave BC, rather than deal with NDP-appointed health colleges and government-appointed disciplinary panels.”
The biggest problem, Kindy pointed out, is how the people on the panels are chosen.
“All physicians in disciplinary tribunals are appointed by government. There is no external appeal process. This is the definition of political interference,” she said.
Health Minister Josie Osborne downplayed the issue in her response and accused Kindy of “spreading misinformation.” Despite numerous letters on file with the province from doctors stating they will retire or leave BC because of the act, Osborne claimed there are no such concerns.
“Any claim that the Health Professions and Occupations Act is going to make health professionals leave the province is unfounded, it’s simply untrue,” she said, claiming the act is all about patient safety. “Regulatory bodies are there to protect the public, not to protect the profession, and that is why, for the first time in 30 years, after years of work, after reviews that showed that regulatory framework needed to be strengthened, we have taken the steps to modernize this framework.”
Doctors have been pushing back against the Health Professions and Occupations Act in BC since it was passed in 2022, scheduled to come into force April 1, 2026. The Doctors of BC is an advocacy group for doctors in the province. It’s been pointing out flaws in the act and how practicing doctors have been excluded from having input on its wording and implementation since it was introduced.
“Doctors of BC and others have criticized the lack of meaningful engagement and consultation with physicians and other health care providers during this legislative process,” says a statement on the group’s website. “While we support the HPOA’s intentions to modernize the legislation and enhance cultural safety, we are concerned about several aspects of the legislative framework, such as government-appointed boards, changes to disciplinary processes, disclosure of minor disciplinary actions, and the removal of appeal rights.”
Kindy pointed out that government-appointed panels and disciplinary committees will do nothing to improve conditions for patients.
“What the doctors of BC are saying is that the HPOA politicizes health care. It doesn’t increase safety of patients when you politicize health care,” she said. “This HPOA increases censorship, and what does that do? It decreases safety of patients.”
In response, Osborne stuck to her speaking points about how the act increases patient safety, adding that board members will be appointed through a “merit-based process.”
Last year the Doctors of BC canvassed more than 350 doctors around the province, split nearly 50-50 between family physicians and specialists.
Based on the results, the organization says “physicians do not see a connection between the HPOA and its proposed objectives and are concerned that the new legislation risks making BC a more difficult place to practice at a time when physician recruitment and retention is paramount.”
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