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The Alberta government says a Calgary medical clinic charging its patients fees for faster access to a physician is an outlier and it will take action against any clinic that follows suit.
Alberta-based advocacy organization Friends of Medicare and the Opposition NDP say the province needs to put a stop to a Calgary clinic planning to charge annual fees for faster access to a physician.
'Canadians should have access to primary health-care services based on medical need and not on their ability, or willingness, to pay,' Health Canada said.
When a clinic switches to premium fee service or reduced hours, patients will feel pressure to pay up or find a new doctor when they're hard to come by.
Health Canada says a Calgary medical clinic that soon plans to charge its patients a fee to gain faster access to a family doctor would be breaching medicare laws.