Town northwest of Edmonton calls on province to help as community could soon have just 1 doctor left

A gathering was held in Onoway, Alta., on Friday where local leaders said they hoped to draw attention to how the town is facing with only one remaining. doctors in the community relatively early.

Joe Blakeman, member of Lac Ste. Anne County, said Onoway currently has three doctors, but one is leaving at the end of October and another is preparing to take maternity leave.

“It will be a struggle,” he said, noting that even with three doctors, most people have to wait about a month before getting an appointment. “A month can be terrible.”

Blakeman said the area also has a growing number of seniors, and he’s heard people go to the emergency room to seek medical care while sometimes needing a GP.

“They deserve to have a doctor here and not have to drive 30 to 45 minutes.”

Bob Winterford is a town councilor in Onoway and said the community, located about 65 kilometers northwest of Edmonton, is growing.

“We knew we were in a competitive market,” he said. “It should never be about competition when it comes to human health.

“There is a need for a doctor in every rural community across the country.”

Both Winterford and Blakeman said to minimize competition the province should create a more efficient process to ensure more rural communities have adequate numbers of doctors.

“I think there’s a fix,” Winterford said. “There’s a lot of immigrant doctors coming to this country and I think a lot of them live in countries where they’d rather be in a rural community.”

Blakeman said he believes the government needs to streamline the process so that doctors who are trained abroad can practice earlier in Canada.

“We are doing everything we need to do, but… we are not getting any help from our superiors,” he said, adding that he believes the Alberta Health Service needs to do more to solve the problem. resolve shortages. “The whole system is frustrated.

“They’ve made it really difficult for doctors who have trained abroad.”

In a statement sent to Global News, Steve Buick, press secretary to Health Secretary Jason Copping, said “we appreciate the interest in Onoway and we will support recruitment there in any way. maybe.”

“But the reality is that adding doctors in smaller communities is a challenge, and it’s become more so due to the pandemic (COVID-19),” Buick said. “Recruiting and retaining rural doctors is Minister Copping’s top priority and we are constantly looking for new approaches to support that.

“We work daily with communities, AHS, RhPAP (Rural Health Action Plan) and other partners to recruit doctors for smaller communities and rural areas, and we I am seeing success despite the pandemic. As of January 1, AHS has announced 20 new doctors in rural communities, in addition to the 11 who have committed to practice in Lethbridge. “

READ MORE: 17 new doctors to Lethbridge, some before winter: AHS

Buick said Alberta currently spends $90 million a year on rural doctors, “including the country’s most generous incentives for rural practice,” and noted that the province recently reached an agreement It is expected with the Alberta Medical Association that “will assist in the recruitment and retention of physicians, including rural practitioners in particular”.

READ MORE: Doctors in Alberta vote on tentative deal with province

Opposition health critic David Shepherd said he believes “no program, no incentive – no financial incentive, whatever you want to put on the table – that can’t be overcome with doubt area was created by the UCP government and their attacks on physicians. “

According to many medical experts, in 2020, the provincial government concluded a long-standing master agreement with doctors to create new rules that doctors say will affect the bottom line for the health sector. some family and rural activities.

READ MORE: Alberta government terminates master agreement with doctors; New rules coming soon

Announced earlier this year, the province’s Rural Education Supplement and Integrated Physician Experience (RESIDE) program has a budget of $2 million a year for three years.

“In the first few months, the program attracted significant interest and about 20 applications, and resulted in a new doctor entering Cold Lake; but most applicants don’t meet the criteria,” Buick said. “Minister Copping responded that the criteria were too narrow, so he approved some changes.

“The revised program is currently accepting applications and we hope it will achieve its goals in the future. If it needs more changes or if there are other initiatives that can help, we will look into them.”

READ MORE: The RESIDE program hopes to encourage new family physicians to work in 15 rural Alberta areas

Winterford said Onoway wanted to make sure people didn’t need to worry about a shortage of doctors.

“Losing a doctor is important because the people who used to see that doctor now have to figure out where they are going and if they can go,” he said, adding that he realize that everyone is working to resolve the situation.

Blakeman said he believes AHS is “like a ball” for rural health care in the province.

“It’s frustrating really, but we’re going to fight the battle,” he said, adding that he believes the beauty of the area Onoway is located and the town’s relative proximity to the west. Edmonton will appeal to some doctors.

“We also have doctors who love it here for our country, for our lake, for our entertainment.”

–With files from Morgan Black, Global News