Whether you have a family physician, like Susie Everding, or not, the shortage of family doctors weighs on the minds of many.
“Our physician, I’m guessing he’s probably five or 10 years older than I am, so approaching retirement age and yeah it’s a big concern for me and my family.”
And those concerns are hitting home for patients of the Frontenac Medical Associates clinic in Kingston, where six of eight doctors are set to retire in May, including Dr. Nicholas Cristoveanu.
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“Two of the six of us are over 70 and the rest of us are pretty close and yes, started roughly at the same time,” Cristoveanu said.
More than 8,000 patients will lose their doctor in one month. Cristoveanu says he and his partners have tried to find replacement doctors without luck.
“The last several years in various forms to try to get new people in, so it’s been difficult.”
In 2022 the City of Kingston set aside $2 million to attract more physicians, with limited success.
Mayor Bryan Paterson says the focus of the remaining money is shifting from attracting family physicians to simply supporting the orphaned patients now.
“Find ways to not only attract doctors but maybe even fund other models of primary care all with a goal of being able to help as many unattached patients in the city as we can.”
Ultimately, the mayor says health care is a provincial matter but if the city can help, it will. And very soon a lot more help will be needed.
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