Physician complement shrinking
Minister says recruitment is underway for West Prince doctors
One of West Prince’s newest physicians has given notice she will be leaving her practice at Western Hospital next week. Health Minister Robert Henderson confirmed Wednesday that Dr. Filza Naveed gave notice in January that her last day of seeing patients in Alberton will be March 15.
“A fabulous doctor,” said the minister. “It’s unfortunate that she has chosen to go to another jurisdiction but we have to respect that.”
Dr. Naveed joined the Western Hospital and Alberton Health Centre medical staff on Oct. 1, 2015.
Last June changes were made to the delivery of physician services in Alberton with Dr. Naveed taking over Dr. Megan Burns’ patients and Dr.
Burns shifting to emergency room care at Western Hospital.
Dr. Andrew Celliers, chief of family and community medicine with Health P.E.I., said it is not necessary for Naveed’s patients to sign up for the patient registry. Locums, a nurse practitioner and registered nurse will be providing primary care services in the interim.
He said recruitment efforts for a replacement physician are already underway. Dr. Naveed will provide some support, remotely, during the transition. Henderson explained by keeping Naveed’s panel of patients together, it means a new doctor taking over would then have a panel size already in place.
If a physician isn’t recruited within six months, he said, the patients would then be instructed to sign up for the patient registry.
There are currently 400 to 450 patients from West Prince on the registry, the minister said.
“When a doctor leaves, it does create a challenge, especially in rural areas, when it comes to recruiting physicians. (Physicians) tend to like more urban centres and that’s just a fundamental reality of what we deal with.”
As recently as last year West Prince was at its complement of 12 physicians.
Currently, there is one, Dr. Herb Dickieson, on leave from his O’Leary practice but Henderson hopes he will be returning to his practice soon. He said locums are filling in.
Additionally, there is a West Prince billing number currently assigned to a physician who is not practising in the region. Henderson’s hoping that can be resolved soon. Henderson confirmed that a nurse practitioner is leaving the region to take up a position in Summerside, but he indicated she has agreed to stay in her current position until a replacement is found. He said interviews for the position have already been held.
The minister admits he hears stories that other doctors might be considering leaving or retiring, but he said there has been no such communication with his department. He added, though, that his department is working with the Medical Society in hopes of coming up with a recruitment plan that can work with physicians approaching retirement. He said the department is looking for ways it can use more nurse practitioners, especially in the case of a new physician transitioning into a large practice being vacated by a retiring or departing physician.