Online town halls will be held this week for B.C. physicians wanting to learn more about a recently inked tentative agreement between doctors and the province.

Doctors of B.C. announced last week it had reached a deal with the government over the 2025 Physician Master Agreement (PMA), a document that governs compensation and benefits for fee-for-service and alternate payment plans for physicians.

The deal represents a “significant investment” in physicians and health care amid a difficult fiscal environment and is a strong step forward for B.C. doctors and patients, according to the organization.

Doctors of B.C., representing more than 16,000 physicians, residents, and medical students in B.C., will present town halls on May 12 and 13 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. to discuss the tentative agreement.

During the online town halls, Doctors of B.C.’s chief negotiator, Paul Straszak, and the chair of the statutory negotiating committee, Dr. Cathy Clelland, are scheduled to provide a detailed overview, followed by a question-and-answer session for members.

“And then we would encourage all our members to get out and vote, whichever way they so choose, so we can ensure the [Physician Master Agreement] vote carries some weight behind it,” said Doctors of B.C. president Dr. Adam Thompson, in an interview.

The ratification vote will be held between May 14 and June 4, with results to be made public on June 5, he said.

The board of directors of Doctors of B.C. and B.C. Family Doctors, representing family doctors, are recommending ratification of the tentative Physician Master Agreement.

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