Two more doc losses for South West region
posted:
Jul 19 2010d'Entremont, Chris
TUSKET – Two more physicians are set to leave Yarmouth, prompting the South West Health authority to launch a campaign to attract new doctors to the region.
“In less than one year, Yarmouth will have experienced the loss of six physicians,” said Argyle MLA Chris d’Entremont. “The situation was critical before, but with this latest news, it really has upped the urgency to find replacements.”
d’Entremont is hopeful the ad campaign will draw graduates and young physicians looking for a different pace from life in a bigger city centre.
“Our region has a lot to offer, and when it comes to the casual, Nova Scotia lifestyle, there are not many places that can compete,” said d’Entremont. “Many young families are not only searching for a job, but a place to call home. I think South West Nova Scotia is the perfect location for that.”
During the tenure of the previous Progressive Conservative government, strategies put in place reduced the list of patients waiting for a doctor by approximately 6,000. While the reduction was significant - from 9,000 to an estimated 3,000 - there is still much work that needs to be accomplished to successfully retain and recruit physicians.
“When our Party was in government, the NDP were full of fail-safe proposals to reduce patient wait times, but now they have the opportunity to implement ideas and we have not seen any direction,” said d’Entremont, a former Health Minister. “Instead, we have seen the commissioning of reports to re-examine details and collect more information on a situation that has already been documented to the hilt. Now is the time for action.”
d’Entremont also pointed out the NDP government has set a precedent for stepping in to assist in unique circumstances like this. In April 2010, the province provided interim funding for two additional ER doctors at the Halifax Infirmary in order to protect patients.
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For more information, please contact:
Sarah Reeves, Communications Officer
Nova Scotia Progressive Conservative Caucus
902.424.7723 (office)
902.499.9948 (mobile)
