In province that has been grappling with a critical family doctor shortage for quite some time, the city of Kingston, Ont., is working to alleviate that pressure.
Last year, council approved funding for the Family Physician Recruitment Incentive Program, which launched in January.
Since the program started, the city says they have been able to recruit nine physicians to Kingston.
“We’re so happy to welcome our newest family physicians to the community,” says Mayor Bryan Paterson.
“Providing access to health care and reducing waitlist times for residents has been a top priority for city staff, and the results of their innovative recruitment efforts will benefit people across the community.”
According to the city, all nine physicians will practice family medicine.
These doctors are desperately needed, since the city lost some physicians over the course of the pandemic.
“Since the onset of the pandemic, we know of seven family physicians who have retired,” says Paterson.
“We have been able to help mitigate a potentially disastrous situation of adding to the list of residents without family doctors. However, if we are to achieve our ultimate goal of every resident having access to a family doctor, we will need support from our partners.”
Paterson and the city are calling on the federal and provincial governments to help in the recruitment and retention of family physicians, saying they don’t have the revenue to pick up the needs of health care without sacrificing the funding of municipal services, such as road maintenance and parks.
“While the City of Kingston stepped outside its lane to address an urgent and ongoing need, it’s time for all levels of government to come to the table to solve this problem that affects the majority of Ontario municipalities,” says Paterson.
“We are ready to meet with the province, federal government or do whatever it takes to help ensure that our community has a roster of family physicians to care for our community.”
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