Doctors Nova Scotia reaches tentative agreement with government

Dartmouth, N.S. - Doctors Nova Scotia has reached tentative agreements with the Department of Health and Wellness on new four-year contracts, if ratified by Nova Scotia’s physicians.

“We believe we have now reached the best deals possible for Nova Scotia’s physicians and most importantly for our patients,” said Dr. Michelle Dow, President of Doctors Nova Scotia. Dr. Dow was installed as President of Doctors Nova Scotia at the June 2016 annual conference, on June 4 in Digby, N.S.

The tentative agreements were reached after one year at the negotiations table. On Friday, June 3, the association’s board of directors recommended the tentative agreements go to physicians for ratification.

Physicians were informed of the tentative deals on Saturday, June 4. They will have the opportunity to vote throughout the month of June. Doctors Nova Scotia will not be discussing the content details with the public until after ratification. A public announcement of those results is expected at the end of the month.

If ratified, these four-year contracts will replace the 2008 Master Agreement and all previous academic funding plan (AFP) agreements. The agreements impact more than 2,800 physicians.

The Master Agreement expired on March 31, 2015, some of the AFP agreements have been expired for many years.

Doctors Nova Scotia welcomes new president

Throughout her 28 years as a family physician, Dr. Michelle Dow’s solutions-oriented, team-focused outlook has served her well – she was named Nova Scotia’s Family Physician of the Year in 2014 – and she’ll be putting that outlook to work in her new role as President of Doctors Nova Scotia (DNS) 2016-17.

A graduate of Dalhousie Medical School, Dr. Dow began practising as a solo rural family physician in Church Point, N.S. for the first seventeen years of her career. She then transitioned to practising family medicine at Woodlawn Health Centre, an urban group practice in Dartmouth, while her husband attended law school from 2005-08. Now, she works with five other physicians and a nurse practitioner at Clare Health Centre, a collaborative-care clinic in Meteghan Centre, N.S.

In addition to regular family practice, Dr. Dow’s work includes house calls and visits to nursing homes, ER and OR-assist shifts, as well as after hours on-call services. It all adds up to a breadth of experience that will provide valuable context as she works to understand the unique needs of DNS’s membership.

Dr. Dow is actively involved in physician recruitment and retention as a mentor for medical students and residents. She is the Medical Director for the Clare Health Centre where she practises as well as Medical Oversight Physician for Emergency Health Services (EHS).

“I am starting my last decade of rural collaborative family practice and I feel compelled to give back to my profession,” said Dr. Michelle Dow. “I want the practice of medicine to be a rewarding and enjoyable career for the doctors of the future, just as it has been for me.”

In addition to welcoming Dr. Dow as President, Truro family physician, Dr. Manoj Vohra was endorsed as the association’s President-Elect. Dr. Vohra will assume the president role in June 2017. Dr. Vohra has more than 25 years of experience in both patient care and hospital administration. He was vice-president of medicine and chief of staff in the former Colchester East Hants Health Authority. Dr. Vohra has extensive leadership experience, describing his style as collaborative, engaging and supportive.