LETTER: Why can't the Sault recruit, retain doctors?

SooToday received the following letter to the editor regarding the recent announcement that the Group Health Centre would be dropping another 10,000 patients from its roster: 

I feel sorry for the patients who have lost access to primary care at the Group Health Centre. Not having access to primary care will certainly negatively affect their health status. It projects a poor image of our City.

We need to determine why SSM has such a difficult time recruiting and retaining primary care providers, those would include Family Doctors and Nurse Practitioners.

A major factor seems to be the system in which Family Doctors practice, if it is true they spend approximately 50% of their time doing paper work and other administrative tasks it is not surprising this is not the field of choice for many new physicians.

The solution always seems to be to enhance recruitment efforts. No use stepping up recruitment if the system you are promoting is dysfunctional and discourages potential candidates. Fix the system!

We also need to ensure the organizations we are recruiting for have an environment which is inviting and attractive to candidates. There has never been a more competitive market so we need to be on top of our game in all aspects.

Having primary care providers interact wth and treat patients is why they exist. Spending time on paper work and in front of computer screens is not what attracts these scarce practitioners.

– Carl White, Sault Ste. Marie