Health care commercials sting a little more

I recently received an email that my family doctor was closing down her practice.

Like many others in Peterborough, should anything come up with my health, I will be scrambling to find someone who does not know me to attempt to diagnose and deal with the issue within that allotted time window.

Should repeated visits be required, it might be a toss of the dice to see the same person who may remember me from weeks ago with the kaleidoscope of other faces they have seen since. The family doctor is the gateway to getting seen by the right specialists in a timely manner.

The new Ontario commercials touting the growth of the province sting a little more now, as there are serious issues with the whole health-care portfolio of hospitals, beds, doctors, RPNs, nurses, MRI and test scheduling to get people better.

We, here in Peterborough, do not seem to be getting any of the new doctors and nurses the commercials brag about. Shortly, we will be doing our taxes and a portion will go to the Ontario Health Premium. This is an addition of potentially $600 to $700 for the diminishing returns we are getting.

How can a province grow in a healthy way if it is lacking doctors, affordable homes and a trained workforce? I hope someone smarter than me has a plan and it is not just opening forprofit clinics.

I would like to thank my family doctor and her whole staff for the wonderful care throughout the time she was my doctor. She listened, was empathic and thorough. I wish her all the best. David Booth, Peterborough