‘Dire’ shortage of family doctors in Norfolk County

Norfolk County staff will look into how to address a “dire” shortage of family doctors practicing in the municipality.

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A memo from Norfolk CAO Al Meneses was presented at a council-in-committee meeting this week, bringing councilors up to speed on the situation.

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Information provided by Workforce Health Ontario shows Norfolk County has fewer primary care physicians per 100,000 people than the provincial average, and 17 per cent of residents don’t currently have a family doctor.

“This could become an even greater issue should current physicians move out of the area or retire,” said Meneses.

Twenty-two per cent of primary care physicians in Norfolk are over age 60, and 21 per cent of Norfolk residents are patients of those aging doctors.

“Almost one-quarter of our doctors practicing family medicine in Norfolk County are over age 60 and approaching retirement, likely sooner rather than later,” Meneses said. “We could quickly get to the position where one in three residents will not have a physician. A lot of these people will go the emergency department where it is a lot more expensive to treat.”

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Councilors agreed to have county staff prepare a report that will include options and funding sources to recruit family doctors to Norfolk.

“This is a dire situation,” said Coun. Kim Huffman. “I think we’re a little more behind the eight ball than some other municipalities because they may have some amenities we don’t have. I’m prepared to put money behind this. We can’t continue this way. We have an aging population.”

Coun. Tom Masschaele said a lack of physicians could impact the county’s growth strategy.

“Whenever there are surveys, one of the statistics is always the number of doctors per 1,000 population. When you have a low ratio that inhibits some people’s desire to move to that location.”

Doctor shortages are an issue across the province. If current trends persist, the Ontario College of Physicians says more than four million Ontarians could be without a family doctor by 2026.

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A recruitment committee with members including those from Norfolk General Hospital, the Norfolk Family Health Team, local doctors and Norfolk County staff, was formed last year, with some success in attracting doctors.

But Meneses said successful recruitment requires money. He told councilors other municipalities use a variety of ways to lure doctors, including the hiring of a recruiter; offering financial incentives, such as paying student loans for recently graduated doctors; and providing housing for medical students, residents and physicians who are new to the area.

Norfolk Mayor Amy Martin said putting money behind physician recruitment is a “worthwhile investment in our community.”

“I hope we’re looking at all the ways we can incentivize physicians coming to our area, not just the traditional ways happening in the GTA,” she said. “Because it’s a hard pill to swallow to provide housing or pay off student loans in full when we’re in a tough situation financially ourselves.

“I hope we can get creative and maybe look at long-term funding where we’re releasing it year over year instead of upfront. We do have a lot to offer here.”

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