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Sault doctor shortage still exists, man travels to Toronto for care

1,300 Saultites without a physician; some find a doc through word of mouth
2016-03-24 medical clinic

The Sault’s doctor shortage may not be in critical condition as it once was, but there are still those in need of a family doctor. 

Paul Edwards, who relocated to Sault Ste. Marie from Toronto in April, is one of them.

Edwards, 63, told SooToday he has ongoing “chronic health conditions” he is concerned with, and needs ongoing care. 

Edwards, like others who need a doctor, has registered with Health Care Connect, an Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care service which refers people without a physician to a family health care provider who may be accepting new patients.

It is the official waiting list in Ontario for those seeking a family doctor.

“I’ve asked at the Group Health Centre and gone around to all the different doctors’ offices and asked if they’re taking patients and there aren’t any who are,” Edwards said.

“I’ve been told there is a two-year wait, that’s not official, that’s what I’ve heard from other people based on their experiences.”

Because he has relocated and is looking for a family doctor locally, Edwards, in keeping with regulations, has formally taken himself off his former doctor’s patient list while he tries to find another.

Edwards said he is receiving health care whenever he visits Toronto.

“My (former) doctor has graciously agreed to see me and treat me as a walk-in, that way I can get my medications refilled as well as my blood work done.”

For Edwards and many others in the Sault, just one more doctor is needed locally.

“The last I heard from the Northeast LHIN, which keeps track of how many people are on the Health Care Connect list, and that was probably about two months ago, there were about 1,300 people on the list (waiting for a family doctor in the Sault),” said Christine Pagnucco, Sault Ste. Marie Physician Recruitment & Retention Program manager.

That is, approximately, the patient load for one family doctor, Pagnucco said.

The program is currently aiming to recruit three doctors for the Group Health Centre.

“We’ve always looked at the age of our doctors and we’ve been anticipating retirements.”

“Over the years we’ve kept pace with the retirements, we draw on our family medicine residents who come to Sault Ste. Marie to train, we get at least four every year, so we’ve always had that to recruit from and we’ve been very successful.”

However, Pagnucco said “the retirements are coming a bit quicker now, so we’re trying to keep up with the same pace.”

“For the first time, I’m travelling down to McMaster this month to recruit their residents, and I was in Vancouver last month trying to recruit… it’s a matter of staying at the same pace (with doctor retirements).”

“We’re actively recruiting for new physicians continuously…I’m always in communication with physicians on an ongoing basis about their retirement plans so that we can have some projections to plan for the future,” said Dr. David Fera, Algoma District Medical Group chair and CEO.

Fera is also a member of the Physician Recruitment & Retention Program.

“It’s a provincial need, every city is recruiting family physicians, competition is fierce.”

“Because the Sault is isolated we’re really having to sell the city (to southern Ontario medical school graduates).”

“The NOSM (Northern Ontario School of Medicine) students have been a tremendous pool of physicians for us in Sault Ste. Marie…it’s one of the reasons we’ve gone from 10,000 to 15,000 patients (without a family doctor) down to around a thousand, a large part is due to training physicians locally and then those physicians staying here.”

“There have been tremendous improvements,” Fera said.

There have been successes in landing specialists along with general practitioners, Fera said.

Meanwhile, newly-arrived Paul Edwards, along with lifelong Saultiites, will have to hang tight and keep in touch with Health Care Connect.

Networking, such as spreading the word of one’s need for a physician to friends and doctors at walk-in clinics, can speed up the process of finding a family doctor, Pagnucco said.

“Some people have good luck with that,” Pagnucco said.

 

 

 


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Darren Taylor

About the Author: Darren Taylor

Darren Taylor is a news reporter and photographer in Sault Ste Marie. He regularly covers community events, political announcements and numerous board meetings. With a background in broadcast journalism, Darren has worked in the media since 1996.
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