The City of Peterborough will proceed with a new pilot action plan to help address a shortage of family doctors.
On Tuesday evening, city council endorsed the plan which is being billed as a “first of its kind” in Ontario. A $580,000 budget is required for the multi-pronged, pilot project for physician recruitment and retention which would run until the end of 2025.
The Ontario College of Family Physicians recently reported there are approximately 32,000 residents in the Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes and Haliburton area area without a family doctor — a number the organization estimates could double within the next two years.
“There’s 443 municipalities doing exactly the same thing in the province of Ontario,” Mayor Jeff Leal said. “They’re trying to write big cheques as fast as they can in this particular area to recruit physicians.”
The features of the plan include:
- continuing the existing $15,000 incentive (over three years) for family physicians who establish new practices in the city
- developing a “Whole of Village” incentive package
- consulting with a new think tank consisting of local family physicians
- creating a temporary in-house physician recruitment coordinator for a two-year period to run the program
- developing an advocacy plan for the provincial health care system to support physician recruitment efforts
Sarah McDougall Perrin, the city’s government relations advisor, says the “Whole of the Village” concept could focus on current medical students in the area, providing financial incentives to them based on the number of patients they roster or other physicians they recruit to the city.
There could also be a “Hometown Proud” financial incentive for Peterborough students attending medical school elsewhere who agree to practisce in the city upon graduation.
“Have anything from professional services, realtors, help with employment services for spouses and have it all in one, polished incentive package,” she said.
A city staff report shows a comparison of physician recruitment in other nearby municipalities, noting Hastings County provides $150,000 over five years to medical students or residents. Kingston offers a $100,000 incentive for a five-year commitment but does not use the services of a physician recruiter and relies on in-house staff support of marketing and other community networks.
The new recruitment plan comes as the Peterborough and the Kawarthas Economic Development opted to end the job at the end of 2023. The city allocated $100,00 for physician incentives in 2024 (including current multi-year agreements with several doctors) and approved over $226,000 in the 2024 budget.
However, not all city councillors are certain the new plan will be effective.
“There’s not enough teeth in it for me to understand that this is going to do anything for us as a city,” said Coun. Alex Bierk.
McDougall Perrin, during council’s meeting, said the city is already in the process of finalizing a new agreement with a family doctor.
“We know that it is a significant significant need. We also know we’re not alone,” she said. “Municipalities in Ontario have significant numbers of unattached patients in their communities.”
The budget for the pilot approach will be funded with $350,000 from the city’s Physician Recruitment Reserve along with the 2024 budget allocation of $100,000 and a pre-commitment of the 2025 budget of $130,000.
Council endorsed the action plan with an amendment that updates on recruitment efforts be provided every six months. The plan returns to council on April 9 for final approval.