Doctor shortage looms, recruitment plan required

BY NADINE ARMSTRONG

The Hants Journal

NovaNewsNow.com

Windsor and area may be facing a serious doctor shortage in the next few years, according to Hospital Chief of Staff and family practitioner Dr. Mark Kazimirski.

He explained to Joint Council June 25 that unless efforts are made now to recruit new blood there simply won't be enough physicians available to serve this area. “Doctors in our community are getting older. We are all of a similar vintage and will retire at about the same time. We need to do something quickly because to bring new doctors in will take a few years,” he said. The area will need at least four new family doctors as well as an internal medical specialist.

Although Capital Health does recruit doctors to the province, Kazimirski said this area is not their priority. “As a community we have not been formally involved in recruitment and that will need to change. In my experience, if a community wants a physician they will have to look at initiating that process themselves.”

Hantsport Mayor Wayne Folker said his town saw the writing on the wall and took steps to retain its own practitioner. “It's a long process; we're talking about five years to find and retain a family doctor. We couldn't wait for someone to come along, we had to take charge of finding someone ourselves or be left without.”

Effort will pay off: Kazimirski

Although a recruitment drive may cost taxpayers now, it's an investment Kazimirski says will pay off with continued medical care. “The way I look at it, you really need a professional recruiter to be involved. There are those in our community that could put a plan together for a nominal fee. It's really more a matter of manpower and personnel power.”

West Hants Warden Richard Dauphinee said the municipality did attempt to recruit new doctors a few years ago with little success. He said even offers of free ski passes and golf club memberships didn't cut the mustard for ambitious young physicians. “In the past we've tried to do it ourselves and it didn't work,” he said. “Maybe we do need to look at hiring someone to set it up properly and develop a plan.”

Kazimirski said they need to employ someone with inside knowledge of the profession. He has been trying to recruit a female physician for his family practice without success for three years. “It's a sophisticated issue to recruit, and a professional would have better luck going after new grads or medical students and spend our time and energy on local people.”

Resources are limited council, he said, and taxpayers can't carry the burden of monetary incentives.

Must make the approach attractive

Windsor CAO Louis Coutinho said the issue will be attracting doctors to this community while other areas are in a similar fix. “We need to look seriously at how we attract them to our rural communities over other rural communities. What’s the quality of life index here? It's important to make this an a attractive place for doctors and their families to live.”

On a positive note, Kazimirski said those physicians who have come to the area are easily retained. “We are fortunate in that once a doctor is here, there is very little migration. We have a very good emergency and outpatient department here and doctors are always impressed with our facilities. The problem lies in getting them here and intimately involved in the process.”

He adds the priority will be to find physicians willing to multi-task. “We need to recruit on the basis of family doctors that are also willing to work in the emergency room and as hospitalists. That will be the area’s greatest need.”

He said currently the area has a limited number of family doctors, consultants and hospitalists. “We need to look at having more internal medicine in our community so patients do not have to travel to the Valley or Metro to be treated.”