Health care personnel recruitment is a never ending job, the Centre Wellington council’s committee of the whole heard on Monday afternoon.
Dr. Nicole Petrov, of the physician recruitment committee, said that over the past year, the committee found that 820 people are looking for a family doctor, but she believes that number is actually much higher. She said it does not include people who go outside the community to see a family doctor and would prefer to stay in town, or those clients whose doctors are considering retiring.
She said there are currently three doctors nearing retirement age.
“We do need to keep ahead of this,” Petrov said.
She said it is not just residents who will gain from having enough local family doctors. Petrov explained enough doctors keep local hospitals viable. She said when provincial bureaucrats decide where hospital cuts will come, or where mergers can be done, the area hospitals, and Groves, in Fergus, “is an easy target for shutdown.”
Further, she said, with enough doctors, a municipality gains because people are willing to move into it. She said one local retired couple recently moved to St. Thomas to be near relatives, but moved back six months later because they could not find a family physician. They had kept their local doctor when they moved.
“People do not move to communities with no health care,” Petrov said, and added, “It’s important for the financial viability of the community.”
She said there are some new recruiting materials being used to attract health care personnel.
“There’s lots going for out community, and that makes it very recruitable.”
She said some recruits come from the interns who work here, and she said one of those will be starting in the township in the next year.
Petrov said the area recently added a husband and wife doctor team, and they will set up their practice in the next week, and each offer a general practice as well as some specialized services.
As well, the area has attracted an internist, something it has been seeking for over a decade.
She added that Groves doctors and nurses are a major attraction for other practitioners, and new equipment like the CT Scanner is a big attraction.
Petrov said the committee is expanding its work with local high school students who might consider a medical career. As well, it is continuing medical tours of the hospital and community.
Councillor Kirk McElwain asked Petrov to explain the difference between doctors who prefer to work in the city, and those who work in rural areas.
Petrov said city doctors who work in an office from 9am to 5pm five days a week are paid better than those who do a number of tasks like rural doctors do.
She said rural doctors will work in operating rooms and emergency departments, do other specialized work, and work weekends and evenings.
“Most of us can’t be in the office five days a week,” she said. But, she added, “Those of us here love the broader work – but it’s difficult to recruit. It does take a little bit of a special person to do that.”
Councillor Walt Visser, who has been involved for years for physician recruitment, said all the health care professionals in Centre Wellington are part of the recruitment team.
Petrov agreed and said local doctors are meeting recruits and entertaining them, as well as showing them around the community.
Mayor Joanne Ross-Zuj thanked Petrov for her report and said she is pleased council now understands what a rural physician does and how the community can attract them.
Centre Wellington has been very successful in recruitment and, with the support of council attracted many new health care practitioners.
At one point at the turn of the century, there were over 2,200 people on a waiting list for a family doctor, and they found one locally.
