Victoria doctor says controversial retainer fee under review
A Victoria doctor that had asked her patients to pay a monthly $125 fee for expanded services says she's putting the idea on hold as her team reviews the policy.
Earlier this month, Dr. Perpetua Nwosu told her patients that the fee was for accessing services like longer appointments or home visits, while the money would be used for hiring more staff – such as nurses and mental health counsellors – as well as administrative and operational costs.
The announcement didn't sit well with everyone, however, with one patient telling CTV News that they had concerns about their future care since they couldn't afford the new fee.
Doctors in B.C. can charge additional fees, called "block fees," but only for services that aren't covered by MSP.
Last week, the province said the Medical Services Commission was reviewing the proposed fee, which was set to begin in October.
This weekend, however, Nwosu sent patients a letter saying "the [retainership] scheme as it was originally stated is withdrawn while it is under review."
She added that her health centre is "committed to providing safe and efficient medical services for all patients."
Last week, Saanich, B.C., physician Dr. Jennifer Lush told CTV News she wasn't surprised by the situation.
"Dr. Nwosu is by no means the first physician to charge patients an additional fee for services that are not covered under the medical services plan," she said.
"The question we should be asking is not how dare this physicians do this, but how dare the government in a universal health-care system not adequately fund family doctors," she said.
With Files from CTV News' Robert Buffam and Bhinder Sajan.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Bodies found by U.S. authorities searching for missing B.C. kayakers
United States authorities who have been searching for a pair of missing kayakers from British Columbia since the weekend have recovered two bodies in the nearby San Juan Islands of Washington state.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
Saskatchewan households will continue to receive carbon tax rebate: Trudeau
Households in Saskatchewan will continue to receive Canada Carbon Rebate payments, despite the province refusing to remit the federal carbon price on natural gas, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday.
'It's just so hard to let it go': Umar Zameer still haunted by death of Toronto police officer
“It's just so hard to let it go. I mean, everyone is telling me, ‘you have to move on,’ but I know someone is not here [anymore]. So I don't know how I will move on." That’s what Umar Zameer, the man recently acquitted in the death of a Toronto police officer, told CTV News Toronto in a sit-down interview on Tuesday.
Senate expenses climbed to $7.2 million in 2023, up nearly 30%
Senators in Canada claimed $7.2 million in expenses in 2023, a nearly 30 per cent increase over the previous year.
Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko won't play in Game 2
The Vancouver Canucks will be without all-star goalie Thatcher Demko when they face the Nashville Predators in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series.
Pedestrian, baby injured after stroller struck and dragged by vehicle in Squamish, B.C.
Police say a baby and a pedestrian suffered non-life-threatening injuries after a vehicle struck a baby stroller and dragged it for two blocks before stopping in Squamish, B.C.