2024-02-19 19:21:23
Nova Scotia does not have much difficulty attracting doctors, but it has more difficulty than some provinces in retaining them, according to data from the Canadian Institute for Health Information.
In Yarmouth, in the south of the province, we have never seen so many doctors wanting to settle in the city, according to Rick Allwright, administrative director of the Yarmouth Chamber of Commerce.
In fact, 14 doctors have gone there in the last seven months, compared to three or four per year in previous years.
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Rick Allwright is Executive Director of the Yarmouth, Nova Scotia Area Chamber of Commerce.
Photo : CBC
This is promising, says Rick Allwright, whose organization is a member of the partnership for the recruitment of health professionals in the Yarmouth region. A situation attributable in part, according to him, to the creation of the registry of Atlantic doctors aimed at facilitating their mobility.
But the Chamber of Commerce’s priority is not to bring in doctors, but to ensure that they stay.
Nova Scotia is one of the Canadian provinces that saw more physician departures than arrivals between 2018 and 2022, according to data from the Canadian Institute for Health Information. It is the only province in the Maritimes in this situation.
The data is determined by comparing where doctors live from the previous year with where doctors live from the current year, according to the Institute for Health Information. All types of doctors, regardless of their practice, are included in the data.
Investing in infrastructure
To retain doctors, the province must invest in infrastructure, according to Rick Allwright.
Much of the infrastructure for our doctors is not up to par, he believes.
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Dr. Joe Gillis (left), Dr. Paul Legere (center) and Dr. Brian Moses (right) agree that the emergency department at Yarmouth Regional Hospital is no longer meeting the needs of patients and staff.
Photo : Radio-Canada / Michael Gorman
A new emergency department was announced four years ago, but construction has yet to begin.
Last month, Yarmouth doctors called for a concrete timetable to replace the emergency deemed inadequate.
Taking inspiration from British Columbia?
From 2018 to 2022, British Columbia gained almost twice as many doctors as it lost.
Over this period, nearly 1,300 doctors settled in the province while nearly 700 left.
Adrian Dix, Minister of Health of British Columbia, assures that this is explained by the “historic investments” made by his government in the sector.
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According to Adrian Dix, his government’s major investments explain why doctors choose to stay in the province.
Photo : Radio-Canada / Ben Nelms
The province changed its payment system, which was well received by doctors. The province added 160 doctors to its system just one week following this change.
British Columbia has also increased the number of medical schools and hires 80% of all medical students who graduate in the province, according to Adrian Dix.
According to Rick Allwright, Nova Scotia should follow the same path. He wants Dalhousie University to expand its medical school.
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A Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine campus in Halifax.
Photo : Radio-Canada / Frédéric Wolf
Currently, 134 students study there each year; 79 places are reserved for residents of Nova Scotia.
Rick Allwright believes it’s these medical students that we should be banking on. At the end of the day, these are the doctors who are going to stay here for the long term, he believes.
According to a report from Josh Hoffman, CBC
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