The doctor is in (another province)

Government fails to return calls, meet with doctors interested in moving to N.L., GP and pediatrician say

In recent weeks, emergency rooms and community health centres in parts of rural Newfoundland and Labrador have been shut down for entire days or longer due to staffing shortages.

Residents are left worried about public safety and questioning why it’s so difficult to recruit physicians to the province and keep them once they’re here.

Many reasons are often bandied about — doctors are overworked and underpaid, and Newfoundland and Labrador's weather is notoriously fickle, damp and cold.

But what if there are doctors who want to live and work in the province and health authorities are simply not communicating with them in time?

That’s a scenario Deer Lake’s Dr. John Kielty and Dr. Susan Russell, a general practitioner and pediatrician, respectively, have seen happen over their 14 years of practice.

“What we see is them ... not really showing very much interest in them, and the contracts seem to take forever,” Kielty said.

Students in their final years of training are often the ones looking for contracts, Russell said.

“It would be wonderful if what happened was the physician recruitment officer contacted each of those residents, as they came to our area to train (and said), ‘We know you're finishing in nine months, what are your plans for the future? Would you like to work on the west coast? What can we offer you? Can we find a position for you that would work for you?’” Russell said.

“But in fact, what we see is the opposite. The residents are coming back to the clinic, they’re with us for months at a time, you get to know them quite well. And they come in and they say, ‘I’ve been trying to get a hold of Western (Health) and they won’t call me back or don’t answer my emails or (I) can’t set up a meeting.’”

‘P.E.I. — THEY ARE VERY LUCKY TO HAVE YOU!’

On July 1, a Facebook post by Clarenville Medical Centre — Dr. Small and Dr. Stockwell — was sent out to congratulate Dr. Carmen Grinton on finishing her residency.

“Our community successfully recruited her to join our practice this past December, but unfortunately she did not receive an offer from the (Health Department) until (six) months later on June 10, 2022,” the post said. “We wish you all the best as you start your practice in P.E.I. — they are very lucky to have you!”

When asked, the clinic did not comment for this story.

Though Kielty and Russell don’t know Grinton, it is one more example in a long list of stories about interested doctors being kept in limbo for far too long.

“That, in itself, can’t happen and should never happen,” Kielty said. “It’s just one of those things that needs to really change. It’s so obvious to me and should be obvious to everybody. She was recruited in December, why isn’t the contract in February? June 10 is just way, way too late.”

BASIC STUFF

It’s shocking, Kielty said, that simple communication isn’t taking place.

“This is what’s happening, and that’s basic stuff,” Kielty said. “(If) you’re going to try to improve recruitment and retention, the first thing you do is maybe reach out with open arms, make somebody feel welcome. If that’s not the first step, then you’re on the wrong track already.”

Grinton’s contract took six months, according to the post. This sometimes takes other provinces a day, Kielty said.

They personally know four people who tried to get contracts in Newfoundland and Labrador, but ended up in P.E.I., Russell said.

There are also several who went to Nova Scotia for similar reasons.

“We know one couple who went to Australia because they couldn’t get Newfoundland to sit down at the table,” Russell said. “They were clearly willing to do whatever it took, right? They went all the way to Australia and they just couldn’t get anybody to call them back to discuss an option.”

‘IT’S REALLY APPALLING’

Paul Dinn, MHA for Topsail-paradise and Opposition critic for health, questions whether the provincial government even has a strategy in place for recruiting doctors.

“The strategy I’ve seen is, we’re waiting for this, COVID did this or we’re waiting on the Health Accord, and they go on and on and on,” Dinn said in a telephone interview. “Whatever way they’re going about it, we’re not near being enough of a welcoming community. It’s really appalling.”

Action must happen, he said.

“In a province that’s screaming for them, it takes six months to give a doctor an offer?” Dinn said. “It’s a very, very disheartening situation. I hear every day from people who lost their doctors. I heard from a guy yesterday (who) lost his family physician, got another one, lost that one. And this is becoming the common thing we’re hearing.”

The Department of Health and Community Services and all four regional health authorities were contacted for this story, but a response was not received by deadline.