Opposition critic Kelvin Parsons wants the provincial government to reach a contract agreement with doctors in Newfoundland and Labrador. (CBC)

Premier Danny Williams should stop lashing out at the head of the Newfoundland and Labrador Medical Association and allow negotiators to reach a new contract for doctors, says the Liberal Party.

"It’s time for Premier Danny Williams to stop playing the blame game and get on with the task of signing a deal with this province’s doctors," said Acting Opposition Leader Kelvin Parsons in a news release Tuesday. "The premier should stop bullying and engage in serious bargaining. Continually attacking the person who speaks for doctors is not the way to reach an agreement."

At the provincial Progressive Conservative convention in St. John’s last weekend, Williams criticized NLMA executive director Rob Ritter.

Williams said Ritter has broken a promise that pay increases given to pathologists and some oncologists in May 2008 would not be raised during the ongoing negotiations for a new four-year agreement with all of the province's physicians.

"Ritter has been a favourite target of Williams since May of 2008," said the Liberal news release. "That’s when the NLMA opposed the premier’s unilateral decision to give some specialists raises outside of the collective bargaining process. That freewheeling style of intervention caused a lot of havoc in the ranks of the province’s doctors."

The Opposition fears bad faith between doctors and the province will harm the health-care system.

"We’ve already seen some doctors leave our province out of frustration with the way they are being treated by the Williams government," said Parsons. "Now there is more talk that even more doctors are reconsidering their options. I urge the premier to put aside his personal grudge against Rob Ritter and negotiate in good faith."