Quebec doctors offered $340M to take new patients

Quebec is offering doctors $340 million in bonuses and incentives to encourage them to accept new patients and work more hours.

The federation that represents the province's general practitioners has unveiled details of the tentative agreement reached with the government in June.

While the doctors are being offered the same salary increases as other publicly paid workers, the deal includes a series of bonuses.

Under the proposed deal, doctors would receive $100 for every new patient they accept.

Each GP would also receive a $50 bonus per day of work beyond 180 days a year, and then $200 for each additional day worked beyond 200 days.  

The province's 7,800 general practitioners have until Aug. 6 to vote on the deal.

The provincial health department and the federation representing general practitioners would not comment on the proposal.

Dr. Louis Godin, head of the general practitioner federation, sent members of his group details of the offer in a letter on Monday.

Godin said in his letter that he found the proposal acceptable but did not specifically suggest that general practitioners should accept it.

Many people in Quebec do not have a family doctor.