Baddeck has found itself a new doctor
The doctor is in. Baddeck’s new doctor is currently settling into life in the lakeside village and is expected to begin practising family medicine out of an office at Victoria County Memorial Hospital later this spring.
Dr. Jamie Tribo accepted the vacant physician position early this year.
Tribo, who received her medical degree from University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in 2012, most recently practised in Keysville, Va.
She is the first doctor brought into the province under a new immigration program that fast-tracks foreign doctors who are already qualified to practise medicine in Nova Scotia.
Victoria County Warden Bruce Morrison said the county’s own recruiting committee and the Nova Scotia Health Authority recruiter met with Tribo several months ago. She agreed to take the offer in February.
“We just had a good chance to explain why Baddeck would be a nice place to settle — both professionally and personally,” said Morrison, who believes what he calls the “local touch” may have helped. “We made the pitch and a couple of months later we found out she had selected Baddeck.
“It’s great news for us.” Even with Tribo’s arrival, Baddeck still needs at least one more doctor, said Morrison.
“She makes four — we would like to have five,” he said.
“We would like to get at least one more, but keep in mind we have a physician who’s practising and we don’t know when he’ll retire, and he’s carrying a large practice, so we want to try to meet that demand as well.”
North of Cape Smokey in Victoria County is also trying to recruit two doctors to work at Buchanan Memorial Hospital in Neils Harbour.
Meanwhile, Nova Scotia Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab is in Europe where she is trying to recruit more doctors to the province under the program that attracted Tribo to Cape Breton.
The Nova Scotia Health Authority wants to bring at least 12 international doctors to Nova Scotia — particularly family physicians and specialists. Officials told the CBC in February that at least 110 new physicians are needed each year to maintain the status quo.