2024-08-05 13:55:18
Ontario municipalities and hospitals will provide thousands of dollars to attract health professionals amid shortages.
Huntsville City Councilman Bob Stone said the city council approved a plan to offer bonuses of up to $80,000 to any family physician who agrees to open a new practice in the city and work there for at least five years.
He said that just two months after the measure was implemented, seven doctors had expressed interest and several were close to signing contracts.
It already works. We’re really excited and once we sign the contract, we’ll let the world know.
Quote from Huntsville City Councilman Bob Stone
great temptation
Branch River Health Hospital in Kirkland Lake is offering a $2,000 bonus to anyone from anywhere in the world who submits a candidacy as a nurse or physician to be hired.
Ok? We don’t know yet, but our current goal is to leave nothing to chance in our recruiting efforts.
A quote from Jorge VanSlyke, CEO of Blanche River Health
In Dryden, more than 1,700 kilometers from Toronto, the long-term plan provides reimbursement of $37,500 in relocation and installation costs. If we combine this amount with provincial subsidies, a physician committing to a four-year residency could receive up to $155,000.
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Money, a house, an office, free meals at restaurants: communities are doubling down on offers to attract doctors.
Photo: AP/Emma H. Tobin
The municipality of Lake Mamora, about 200 kilometers northeast of Toronto, is offering doctors free riverfront housing and office space.
In Huntsville, businesses also contributed to the collective effort: A restaurant offered a $500 gift certificate to a new doctor, a car dealer offered to provide a free car for a year, and a local resort offered a golf club subscription.
a two-edged sword
Health experts warn that while the moves are understandable given the dire shortage of doctors, they could intensify competition among already cash-strapped municipalities.
Ian Culbert, director of the Canadian Public Health Association, believes the increasing importance of incentives to attract doctors puts cities considered less desirable into an impossible position.
Such programs have existed in some northern Ontario regions and cities for decades, but he noted there has been growth since the pandemic.
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Haliburton Heights Health Services closed the Minden Hospital emergency room in June 2023 due to staffing shortages.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Lorenda Reddekopp
Mr. Culbert believes there are other ways to alleviate the shortage of doctors in rural areas, such as canceling student debt tied to years of community service or familiarizing people with the benefits of working in rural areas through short-term programs during medical care.
Huntsville doesn’t want to steal from doctors in neighboring towns; doctors in the Muskoka area and nearby cities are not eligible for the program, but everyone else is.
“Yes, it’s a contest,” Councilman Bob Stone acknowledged. “We are doing everything we can for our own citizens,” he said. I feel sorry for anyone else experiencing the same difficulty. »
According to information from Canadian media
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