A rural doctor recruitment program that had few takers is being expanded and opened up to more central Alberta communities desperate for physicians.
Health Minister Jason Copping unveiled the Rural Education Supplement and Integrated Doctor Experience (RESIDE) program at a January news conference. The $2-million-a-year program overseen by the Rural Health Professionals Action Plan (RhPAP) aimed to lure family doctors to rural communities by offering them up to $100,000 for a three-year commitment.
Initially, only 15 communities were eligible to participate, including Rocky Mountain House and Rimbey in central Alberta. It was intended that new communities would be added each year.
It was hoped up to 20 doctors a year could be added in Alberta each year. But more than eight months in, only one doctor has reportedly been approved and will start in Cold Lake in January. Nearly 20 applications were received but most were international medical graduates who are currently ineligible to practice in Canada, says RhPAP.
In response to the slow uptake, Alberta Health has opened the program up to nearly all rural communities and new doctors will only be required to make a two-year commitment to be eligible for financial help. Doctors up to five years out of their residencies are also now eligible, as well as recent graduates.
Sylvan Lake and Area Urgent Care Committee chair Susan Samson recently made a presentation to town council suggesting they join forces to try to recruit more physicians.
The town’s Advanced Ambulatory Care Service, which offers urgent but non-life-threatening medical diagnosis and treatment, has routinely had to shorten its hours in recent months —most recently Friday afternoon — because of a shortage of physicians.
Sylvan Lake has three general practitioners, one with obstetrics training, listed on an Alberta Health Services website.
“I can only hope that with a broadening of the criteria, there may be more uptake by doctors looking for work,” said Samson in an email.
“I certainly think that Sylvan Lake has lots to offer in terms of location and lifestyle for anyone looking to locate here.”
Sylvan Lake was recently successful in finding a new doctor. The physician from South Africa is expected to start taking patients next year.
Job postings show that general practitioners are needed in many other communities, including Olds, where three general practitioners with anesthesia, emergency medicine or obstetrical surgery skills are needed.
In Rocky Mountain House, two general practitioners, at least one with anesthesia, are needed. In Ponoka, four general practitioners, with obstetrics or anesthesia training, as well as three psychiatrists. Ponoka is home to the Centennial Centre for Mental Health and Brain Injury. Stettler has two job openings and Three Hills and Sundre one each.
Blackfalds and Delburne have also recently gone public with their need for more doctors.
Blackfalds Mayor Jamie Hoover said they have been working closely with Alberta Health Services on the recruiting front.
“We had a productive meeting with the members of AHS focused on doctor recruitment, and we will be meeting at a later date with their strategic planning people as well as their operations people to determine other things that Blackfalds can do to meet our needs beyond physician recruitment,” he said in an email Friday.
“We will also be active in trying to get some capital commitment from ministry for a health facility in our community.”