Government studying number of people lacking a physician
The territorial government launched a registry today to gather information on the number of Yukoners without a family doctor.
The territorial government launched a registry today to gather information on the number of Yukoners without a family doctor.
"We don't have any idea how many people are without a family physician,” said Pat Living, the director of communications for the Department of Health and Social Services.
"We hear one thing from the physicians themselves, the (Yukon Medical Association) has given us a number, we hear that there are a number of people who are showing up at emerge (Whitehorse General Hospital's emergency ward) without family physicians.
"So we actually don't know, and this is the first step to finding out.”
Living noted that the department recently launched its recruitment and retention strategy for doctors, but knowing how many patients are without a family doctor is key for the strategy's success.
There are no plans currently to use the data collected to connect doctors and patients, but Living said the department hasn't ruled it out for down the road.
Yukoners can visit www.hss.gov.yk.ca/patientregistry.php to register.
The form asks for your Yukon health card number, date of birth, gender, first and last names and postal code. The provision of a phone number or email address is optional.
For those residents who do not have access to a computer, paper forms will be available that can be mailed in or dropped off at Health and Social Services.
Living said the department will also be connecting with various non-governmental organizations, including the Outreach Van, in order to gather information from their client base.
"We know that there are a large number of Yukoners without a family physician and that people are going to the emergency room for minor health issues because they don't have a doctor, but we don't have any hard data to support these claims,” Health and Social Services Minister Doug Graham said in a statement today.
"We hope people will go to this website and tell us what their situation is.”
Comments (10)
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Arn Anderson on Dec 30, 2012 at 5:18 am
I wanna hear our "good job" Mayor comment on this, tell these health buearucrats to get off their ***'s!
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Eleanor Millard on Dec 27, 2012 at 12:19 pm
Is H&SS just now catching up to the news that there is a doctor shortage (now ten years in the making) or is it an avoidance tactic to study the problem and continue doing nothing? All while doctors bank our taxpayers dollars working in emergency where they make lots more than in their offices.
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Jackie Ward on Dec 27, 2012 at 9:37 am
Getting so tired of "think of the seniors". News flash, age is not a skill nor an achievement. Seniors get enough help these days. They all act like they are the only ones who need help. We all need help once and awhile, age aside. And being old should not give someone preference in who gets a doctor.
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Faroite on Dec 27, 2012 at 5:14 am
Mostly talking about Whitehorse here.
Don't know how we, in the communities can have a family doctor when you hardly see the same one twice in a row.
But Hey! Good luck Whitehorse.
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June Jackson on Dec 26, 2012 at 12:09 pm
I have a Doctor probably the best in the Yukon.. however, I recently learned that Dr. MacDonald is going to retire. I have been in her practice, along with soooo many others, since she came to the Yukon. She looked after me, my children, and now my grandchildren. We will not see the likes of a 3rd generation Doctor again.
When a Doctor leaves, retires, whatever, they don't put just one or two people on the no medical care list, but maybe as many as 150 patients. I understand there are 5 or 6 Doctors retiring.. that's a lot of people to be suddenly without care of any kind. I personally know at least 30 other seniors that are in Dr. MacDonalds practice.. What is next for us?
Just to comment on the ER. The Doctors and nurses do a fine job there. But I sat for 3 ours with an infection while every drunk in town raised crap with them, scaring little kids in the waiting room. What's going to happen when a 3 year old dies because every last bed in emerge has a drunk in it? Triage only has to miss once.
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Max Mack on Dec 24, 2012 at 5:07 am
Yet another "computer program" to solve a problem that everyone already acknowledges. This "registry" will not give statistically reliable "hard data" for so many reasons . . . I don't even know where to start.
Government already knows there is a doctor shortage. Thousands of Yukoners do not have a regular family doctor. Do they really need a "registry" to tell them this?
I am without a doctor -- my doctor just left the Yukon. GY and the self-serving Yukon Medical Council refused to grant a license to allow a Hospitalist to take over her practice.
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Nancy T on Dec 21, 2012 at 12:00 pm
Hello YTG
I know a few people ( all seniors ) who do not have family doctor. You know what else they don't have..... a computer !! Any chance of a phone number going along with this survey?
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Joel on Dec 21, 2012 at 3:28 am
I think they are always doing something for recruiting and maintaining doctors. This will hopefully give them a real idea of how many people don't have a family physician.
Many people go to the hospital to get a quick checkup rather than booking weeks in advance at their physician. When you or your child are sick, waiting at the hospital for a few hours is better than a week or 2 for an appointment.
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Anonymous II on Dec 21, 2012 at 2:08 am
I am personally in need of a doctor. When I call clinics I get told no one is taking new patients, if you call the gov't hotline you are told to go to the walk-in clinic. That place it a total express assembly line. Last time I went there the doctor on hand hardly even spoke or looked at me, just handed me a prescription.
Will likely end up going to emergency for my issue so I can actually TALK to someone.
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Anonymous on Dec 20, 2012 at 8:52 am
It's about time they started SOMETHING for looking into this issue! They should have started this at least 5 years ago...
I know of many ailing elderly Yukoners who do not have family physicians which is unrealistic and puts stress on our hospital as they have no where else to go to for medical services. And on top of that we have young families who are unable to obtain family physicians.