. irying to turn things around. David Mitchell. PROVINCE, DOCTORS REACH TENTATIVE AGREEMENT Sud LOCAL POLITICIANS, 4 Lions Gate Hospital (LGH) administrator and a_ local doctors’ representative are viewing the recent tentative agreement between the pro- vincial government and B.C. doctors as a positive move. _ By Anna Marie D'Angelo _News Reporter But some politicians are ques-- tioning how the 18-month-old dispute could be suddenly resolv- ed. Doctors have been in lengthy conflict with the NDP government over fee increases and what the doctors claim is a lack of mean- ingful consultation concerning health care initiatives. The dispute caused -75 B.C. doctors to opt out of the Medical Services Plan (MSP). Eighteen. of those doctors work on the North Shore. . According to. the health ministry, the provincial govern- ment resumed talks with the Brit- ish Columbia Medical Association (BCMA) on Aug. 9, and by Aug. NORTH - VANCOUVER-Seymour: Liberal. MLA Dan Jarvis....NDP* 15° the- two sides. had 2 ‘tentative agreement thaf- “was made’ public - on Monday. a ‘Tam absolutely. ‘amaied, Here cur: government has been fighting ; with them, taking out* newspaper : ads, . calling them. names,’? said. West -Vancouver-Garibaldi- MLA “The .minister of health has’ : been extremely’ belligerent. The ; “minister of finance has been’ ex- ‘tremely arrogant: And what hap- pens is all of a sudden there is an - agreement and the doctors are given everything they want.” . According to the agreement, doctors will receive a 6.7% in- ' crease in overhead costs over a “period that covers 1996-1997 budget years, said ae 1992-93 to BCMA spokesman. (Overhead costs and wages make up MSP: fees received by doctors.) The agreement also ‘includes dispute resolution through the Commercial Arbitration Act, len en 44 The Harcourt government ts desperate. This is reaily part of a PR campaign. 99 —Liberal MIA Dan Jarvis which involves conciliation, mediation and binding arbitration. Doctors will also be part of the Medical Services Commission, which formerly included one gov- ernment-appointed person. The commission, which manages medical services, would now include representatives for doctors, the public and the gov- ernment. The government will chair the commission, according to the BCMA. The deal also includes a dec- tors’ retirement savings plan that the health ministry will contribute $25 million to annually. Doctors will have to match the provincial government’s coniribu- tion to the’plan. ‘Said Mitchell, ‘‘The NDP cam- paigned against the infamous $25 tnillion pension plan agreed to by the previous Sccial Credit gov- ernment. i **The NDP. mocked and ridiculed the Social Credit gov- ernment over putting $25 million of taxpayers’ dollars into’ a pen- sion plan, and here it is part of the agreement.” Mitchell said the government’s _ public wrangling with. doctors now appears to have been a charade. Both Mitchell and North Van- couver-Seymour Liberal MLA Dan Jarvis said they were pleased that an agreement had finally been reached. But - ‘they pointed out: that -the - doctors’ deal was motivated by the. ’ provincial government’s desire to have .a successful endeavor in the wake of failures. ‘ ‘* Said Jarvis, ‘“They-are trying to turn things around. The Harcourt government is desperate. This is really part of a PR campaign.” Jarvis said he was not against the doctors’ pension plan, but he noted the government has come full circle on the issue: North WVancouver-Lonsdale NDP MLA. David Schreck was unavailable for comment. - Meanwhile, LGH administration spokesman Dr. Stew Madill said the general reaction of the hospi- tal’s medical staff is positive to the agreement. “Y think that this is a major step to improve the physicians’ relationship with the government. “There has been a lot of negativism among the physicians in the way they have felt they’ve been treated by the government,” said Madill. Dr. Doug McTaggart, former -LGH chief of general practice, Index i8 Catherine Atyeo....- 7. 2 Molson Indy........... 27 BJ Classified Ads.......... 3% News of the Weird .....22 HB Crossword........-. 00: 38 Paul St. Pierre ..... Le D Bi-Ecolnfo............06. 98. WW Your Call......0...00, 8 3 Trevor Lautens ........ 4 WZap................ 24 Weather Saturday, cloudy with a chance of showers. High 20°C, low 1 PC. Canadian Publications Mail Sales Product Agreement Number 0087238 said most doctors don’t have ali the details of the agreement, but they scem (0 agree it’s a good agreement. “The agreement is a much more respectful arrangement,’’ said McTaggart. “One of the big issues was our concern that we were simply being dictated to. There are provisions now for proper dispute settle- ments,”’ he said. Doctors will vote on the agree- ment in late September. to dispute surprises | NORTH SHORE doctors who have opted out of the Medical Services Plan (MSP) plan to stay out of the plan even though a tentative agreement has deen reached between physicians and the provincial government after a bitter [8- month-old fee dispute. Dr. Doug McTaggart, who has not opted out of MSP but is a spokesman for the 18 opted-out North Shore doc- tors, said that opting out was not a bargaining tactic. “The opted-out physicians chose for the long term to disassociate themselves with the reoccurring problems with government,”’ said McTaggart. He said opted-out doctors feel their decision has worked out because their patients are receiving exemplary care and some of the doctors are finding they have more time for pa- tents. McTaggart said patients also N. Shore doctors staying out realize that the overall cost of seeing opted-out doctors is nov as high as many people had assumed, Opted-out doctors bill their patients ‘‘appropriate fees,” which are then partially reim- bursed by MSP. The North Shore doctors started to opt out of MSP at the beginning of the year. According to the health ministry, North Shore opted- out doctors include general surgeons, specialists in urology, orthopedics, obstetrics, gynecology and cardiology and one general practitioner. “T think their attitude is that they are happy there appears to be an agreement, but they don’t worry about it because they are not subject to it,”’ said McTaggart. Seventy-five doctors in the province have currently opted out of MSP. : PHOTO submitted THE LYNN Valley Little League team poses with its national championship trophy fotlowing: a2-1 victory over Quebec last Friday. The team tallied a 1-2 record this week at the Little League. Worid: Series in Willlamsport, Pennsylvania, during round-robin play. it returns to Vancouver on Sunday night. Lynn Valley loses to Saipan in World Series heartbreaker A HEARTBREAKING late-inning surge Wednesday by Saipan at ihe Little League World Series ended Lynn Valiey Little League’s incredible run for the world championship crown. With one cut in the bottom of the sixth and final inning, Lynn Valley —~ Canada’s representative at the tournament — was clinging to a tenuous 3-2 fead. Saipan had runners on third and second. But Canadian pitcher Blake Anderson, who had_ replaced starter Brian Briscoe, couldn't finish Raymond Delen Guerrero, who hit a two-run single to steal the victory for the Far East rep- resentative. Both Canada and Saipan finished the series round-robin with I-2 records. While the sting of the loss will no doubt leave Lynn Valley coaches and players second- guessing themselves for some time to come, their achievement of representing Canada at the Williamsport, Pennsylvania, tour- - By A.P. McCredie Sports Reporter nament will be long remembered on the North Shore, The Lynn Valley Little League team was the first North Shore team since 1972 to represent B.C at the national championships. Last Friday, in St. John, New Brunswick, the team defeated Quebec 2-1 on a Lloyd Haggard: solo home run to qualify as Canada’s World Series repre- sentative. In its opening World Series game, Lynn Valley was blanked 6-0 by Panama, but bounced back to defeat the European sentative, Germany, 8-1. Anderson hit a three-run homer in that game, and tallied three singles in the loss to Saipan. repre- - Panama and Germany met ’ yesterday to decide who. will face the representative of the American division in tomorrow afternoon’s series final: : | The game will be telecast Satur-' day afternoon by ABC Sports, beginning at 12:30 p.m. ' The Lynn Valley team will be attending the final before fiying home on Sunday. The team’s flight is scheduled to arrive at Vancouver International Airport at 9:30 p.m. on Sunday A story in Wediesday’s News reported that the team would be ~ arriving home on Monday at 4:45 | p.m. The team’s flight plans were subsequently moved up a day. Also, Lynn Valley’s Time Out Sports has made a giant con- gratulations card to present to the team when it arrives home. The card is on display at Lynn Valley Centre (1199 Lynn Valley Rd., North Vancouver): for members of the community to sign.