Walk-in clinic is coming, but not for everyone

The subject of a walk-in clinic for Yarmouth made the rounds at the town council table during last week's regular meeting.

During the meeting councillor Wally Strickland asked about the possibility of such a facility for Yarmouth. Councillor Clifford Hood, who sits on the committee that works to attract doctors to the area, said plans are in place for a walk-in clinic at the Main Street medical practice. However that walk-in clinic would only be for the patients of the doctors who work at that facility.

Hood said that when the service is in place, it is believed that it should be enough to reduce the number of people presenting to out patients at the hospital on a daily basis. Hood said the service would go into operation once the Main Street facility is fully staffed with seven doctors. There are four doctors at the location at the moment. Although he was unsure of when there would be a full compliment of doctors on Main Street, Hood said they are working to fill the slots as soon as possible.

During the discussion, council heard that an actual walk-in clinic is something that would have to be driven by a doctor wanting to open a private enterprise and in many cases it is not seen as the answer to reducing wait times at out patients.