CALGARY — The president of the Alberta Medical Association says a recent survey of family doctors suggests primary care in the province is in critical condition.

Dr. Paul Parks has shared the results of the online survey, taken between Jan. 16 and 19, on the viability of family physician and rural generalist clinics in Alberta.

The survey, which was conducted by ThinkHQ, suggests 91 per cent of the 1,375 doctors who responded are concerned about the continued financial viability of their practices.

Six in 10 family doctors surveyed said the financial state of their medical practices is poor, while fewer than one in 10 said their practices are performing well financially.

Parks says it’s time for the provincial government to take action or it will be too late.

The polling industry’s professional body, the Canadian Research Insights Council, says online surveys cannot be assigned a margin of error because they do not randomly sample the population.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 23, 2024.

The Canadian Press