FREDERICTON – The New Brunswick government says it will immediately hire a recruitment co-ordinator in an effort to help boost the number of doctors working in the province.
At a clinic on Fredericton’s northside, government and health officials said it’s a move that comes at a time when the number of doctors in the province has not improved in several years.
“Since coming to office we’ve actually recruited 70 new doctors to the province but when you compare that to the number of retirements and departures, it’s a net gain of three,” said Health Minister Victor Boudreau.
“There’s obviously still work that needs to be done.”
There are currently over 70 vacant positions in the province now. Those positions include family doctors and specialists.
The new position is one of the recommendations of a working committee created in April that is reviewing and recommending improvements to the physician recruitment system.
The committee also recommended a more co-ordinated approach between the Health Department, health authorities and the provincial medical society.
When asked if there’s a worry that the new high-income tax bracket, brought in by the Liberal government, is deterring some doctors, Boudreau said it’s not all about money.
“They look at a lot more than just that. But there’s no question that as a province we’re facing touch financial times right now. And in our first budget we did ask that our one per cent richest- is the way it’s been put – to do a little more to help the province,” he siad.
The Health Department says it will work closely with the New Brunswick Medical Society to develop detailed plans, budgets and timelines for implementing the committee’s recommendations
Medical society president Dr. Camille Haddad also says recruitment must be improved because thousands of people are without family doctors.
With files from The Canadian Press
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