Yukon doctors aren't clear what's meant when the territorial government talks about the creation of a collaborative health care clinic, says the president of the Yukon Medical Association (YMA).

'He (Health Minister Brad Cathers) has made a political commitment, and he has made a political decision, but he is not telling us what he is trying to do,' Dr. Rao Tadepalli said Tuesday in an interview. He spoke following last Friday's annual general meeting of the YMA.

'We have a system that is working, not perfectly, but nothing works perfectly.'

Tadepalli said doctors hear there is a consultation process afoot but they don't see anything.

The government keeps saying things about the collaborative health care clinic, but nothing is on paper, he said.

Tadepalli expects it will be another year before there is any tangible developments in the area of a collaborative health care clinic, as the government is today consumed with the organization of the Canada Winter Games.

Collaborative health care clinics are being used in other jurisdictions as a service to provide a one-stop-shop approach for patients. The intent is to provide a range disciplines under one roof, from general practitioners to occupational therapists and pharmacists.

Leading up to the Oct. 10 territorial election, all three political parties came out in favour of the initiative.

The Liberals, however, were the only party to ballpark the price tag at somewhere between $4 million and $5 million over the first two years.

Cathers told the doctors last Friday the re-elected Yukon Party government will be moving forward with its commitment to implement a pilot collaborative practice clinic.

The government does recognize there are concerns with the proposal among doctors working in the private, fee-for-service sector, the minister said.

He said the issue of how much doctors will be paid for services in a public-owned clinic with no overhead would have to be addressed if that is the route taken.

It would not be fair, for instance, to pay them the same wage that's paid to doctors who deliver the same service but also cover the costs of running their own clinics.

Cathers said he hopes the YMA will work co-operatively on the proposal for a collaborative practice clinic and provide what the minister said would be invaluable input.

But the government is committed to a pilot project, one way or the other, the minister indicated.

The intention of a collaborative practice clinic, Cathers said, is to enhance the territory's health care system, not to create problems.

'Our government will not be satisfied until every Yukoner has access to the health care system in a timely manner,' Cathers told the medical practitioners. 'A collaborative practice clinic can help achieve that goal.'

The government recognizes the need to have thorough discussions to work out all the kinks before it goes ahead with renovating or building new space for the clinic, he said.

'We want to make sure this is a made-in-Yukon solution, and we want to make sure this project is a net enhancement for the system, that it does not create negative effects.'

Nurse practitioner Hazel Booth said Wednesday a funding request has gone to the Department of Health and Social Service to research whether a collaborative practice clinic would fit the Yukon, and how best to do it if it did.

Booth explained that curiosity among the health care profession about collaborative practices prompted a workshop last May, attended by some 50 professionals from all disciplines, including doctors, nurses, therapists and pharmacists.

The concept of collaborative practice clinics, she points out, was highlighted in the final report filed four years ago by Roy Romanow, the former premier of Saskatchewan who headed the Commission on the Future of Health Care in Canada.

She said it was decided at the workshop to form a working group to research what exactly is involved in different models of collaborative practice from other jurisdictions across the country.

Collaborative practice in a primary health care is essentially a method of health care professionals sharing their experience and knowledge to chart the best course of care for a patient, said Booth, a member of the working group.

She said collaboration among health care professionals already occurs in the Yukon to a certain extent.

'But we want to see if we can make it better.'

Booth said she experienced the collaborative practice model earlier in her nursing career in Ontario.

While there have been some negative experiences with the concept in Canada, there have also been some very positive results that have made a difference in health care, she said.

Booth said what's important at this stage is to properly research the subject.

If funding is granted, she would hope that a report with recommendations would be available within the year.