Yukon Medical Association wants recruitment action
The government has announced plans to develop a doctor recruitment strategy,
The government has announced plans to develop a doctor recruitment strategy, but what the president of the Yukon Medical Association really wants to see is action.
"Yes, their announcement has come, so I'm ready for the next step,” Dr. Rao Tadepalli said in an interview Monday.
Whitehorse is set to lose eight doctors in the near future – four to retirement, two for personal reasons, and two, both International Medical Graduates, whose special licences are close to expiring.
Tadepalli said with a physician shortage spanning the country, now is a time to be proactive, not reactionary.
Some of the losses are predictable, he said, including an upcoming clinic closure as one doctor leaves and two retire.
"When we have predictable stuff happening, we need to be not reactionary, but to do something about it.
"For my part, I'm asking the government to move fast and not create a crisis situation. I've asked them to act fast on it,” said Tadepalli.
As for the government's recruitment and retention strategy, outlined in last Friday's Star, Tadepalli is interested in seeing concrete timelines.
Pat Living, the director of communications for the Department of Health and Social Services, said the department does not yet have any set timelines.
She noted the department only announced its plans to develop a strategy last Thursday.
One pillar of the department's strategy, a recruitment website, is under development, and Living said they hope to launch it in about a month.
She said they do recognize "the need for speed.”
Tadepalli noted the Northwest Territories already has a recruitment site the Yukon could model its own after.
Found at practicenorth.ca, the site contains pertinent information, such as current job opportunities and contracts.
Health and Social Services Minister Doug Graham said in last Thursday's statement that "We recognize that the successful recruitment of physicians to Yukon will require a full-time commitment in order to build relationships with the medical community as well as medical schools across the country and abroad.
"This government has identified the recruitment of physicians to the territory as a priority, and we remain committed to working with the Yukon medical community.”
Comments (2)
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Anonymous on Nov 7, 2012 at 5:57 am
I hope serious action is taken quickly in this matter.
We have an aging population in the Yukon and I find more and more seniors in the area no longer have doctors due to practices being closed and a shortage of available physicians at other offices.
On the other side of the spectrum there are new parents and young children that are also having trouble locating physicians taking new patients. It is absolutely crucial that young families establish family physicians for their children now so they can minimize health risks for their children which can be transferred to others in schools or daycares.
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melba on Nov 6, 2012 at 9:14 am
The lack of doctors in the Yukon is a huge and critical issue, much bigger than the 'housing crisis' in my opinion, but we hear practically nothing about it. Is it true that 5000 people in Whitehorse do not have a family physician?! We need facts, and in depth investigation and reporting on this real crisis. It is hard enough having health problems without having to go cap in hand begging for service. Supposedly we have universal health care, but that is a joke if 25% of our population does not even have a doctor.