Tory MHA said the government can’t wait to wait for the Health Agreement to resolve the shortage of doctors in Newfoundland and Labrador

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Stephenville, The Netherlands-Stephenville Mayor Tom Rose said the town is in a state of crisis due to a lack of family doctors.

"We now have nine family doctors," Rose said on Thursday, December 9.

Rose said that after 13 months of experimentation, the town will finally meet with the Western Health Bureau next week to discuss the recruitment and retention plan it had implemented long ago.

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The Secretary of Health of Newfoundland "scored" the doctor at the job fair, now described as a "complete disaster"

Newfoundland Medical Clinic offers a doctor search fee of US$5,000

Ross said the fact that it took the health authorities so long to meet with the town for the package plan shows that there are some mismanagement issues within the Western Health Bureau, and the delay cannot be entirely attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Unlike Western Health’s experience, Rose said that when the town sent information about packages to the Newfoundland and Labrador Medical Association, the association communicated through various channels.

"It's not good enough," Rose said. "At the end of the day, people have work to do, and they must take it very seriously.

"Healthcare is the number one problem in the province," he said, adding that this is the worst situation in 40 years. "If someone can't see a family doctor, or doesn't have a family doctor, it will cause a lot of anxiety to many people."

He said that today's management structure composed of micro-management needs to be changed.

"Someone must fix it."

"... When someone can't see a family doctor, or there is no family doctor, it will cause a lot of anxiety to many people." — Tom Rose

Ross said that more leadership is needed, first with the intervention of the prime minister, and then delegated to the Minister of Health, the Ministry of Health and the health authorities.

The town’s recruitment and retention package includes grants, relocation allowances, vehicles, payment of medical licenses, and tax cuts for medical students who have promised to work in the town for a few years. It aims to attract doctors to the town while also retaining existing doctors and extending to nurse practitioners and nurses.

"As a community, we are doing our part," Rose said.

He said this includes willingness to cooperate with the Ministry of Health and the Western Health Bureau to open a new clinic for family doctors next to the hospital, including a pharmacy.

Rose is not the only one talking to family doctors in the area.

Stephenville-Port-au-Prince’s Progressive Conservative MHA Tony Wakeham issued a press release on Tuesday, December 7th about the shortage of doctors in the area.

Wakeham said that Stephenville has only four family doctors practicing, and the region is a good example of why hiring doctors is so important to the health care system in Newfoundland and Labrador.

“While people wait for the Health Agreement to complete its work and come up with solutions for our medical crisis, we now need to take immediate action to address our shortage of doctors. For too long, residents of the area have been unable to seek medical treatment,” Wakeham said .

He said this was due to the complete failure of the Liberal government's recruitment efforts.

Wakeham said: “Due to the lack of assistance from a family doctor, residents of this area can only use the services of nurse practitioners, and in many cases they pay out of their own pockets.”

Before hiring doctors, Wakeham recommends directing the salary of vacant Western Health positions to retain nurse practitioners to ensure that residents do not have to bear these costs.

He said: "The elderly and people who live on a fixed income should not bear the burden of our healthcare crisis."

Wakeham also said that the red tape involved in coming to the province is frustrating.

"In the absence of a family doctor, residents of the area can use the services of a nurse practitioner, and in many cases they pay out of their own pockets."-Tony Wakeham 

He said that due to red tape, two doctors from Ontario who are interested in coming to the Stephenville area are likely to be in Nova Scotia or New Brunswick, both of which have achieved greater hiring. Success, he said.

"It's time for the Liberal government to get out of the predicament and solve the crisis they condone."

In a statement to Saltwire Network, Western Health stated that there are vacancies emerging for healthcare providers in the region, including the Stephenville/St. George’s Bay area. It said that sometimes job vacancies can cause service interruptions.

Western Health stated that it will continue to actively recruit nurse practitioners, family doctors, general surgeons, general physicians, nurse practitioners (LPN), personal care attendants (PCA) and registered nurses (RN). George area.

It also created a new nursing position to provide support for individuals to stay in their homes to receive home intravenous treatment, home chemotherapy, hospice care, and wound care, which will help avoid unnecessary emergency department visits.

Patients with concerns about getting care should call 1-833-784-6802 or [email protection] to contact Customer Relations

Individuals who do not have a family doctor or primary care nurse practitioner can add their names to the waiting list via the Find Provider online form, or they can email [email protection] and include their name, date of birth, MCP information, Address and phone numbers. There are currently waiting times in some areas.

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