Many rural areas find it difficult to attract doctors, but it can be even harder to keep them.
The city of Powell River, B.C. has introduced a program called “A GP for Me,” which aims to help interested patients have access to a family doctor.
There are close to 5,000 people in Powell River who do have a family doctor — out of the population of 16,000.
Dr. Bruce Hobson, chair of the Powell River Division of Family Practice, says they had been successful in bringing family doctors to the area but they haven’t been as lucky about retaining them.
He says many of the doctors who have come to Powell River have been international medical graduates who didn’t have much of a choice, and didn’t want to stay in a rural community for long.
Other family doctors have left because their spouses couldn’t find employment in Powell River.
Hobson says the community needs to figure out how to make doctors and their families feel welcome in the area.
Another option is having patients meet with a nurse practitioner who would straighten out their medical history and records, order tests, and “package” them so they are more appealing for a busy family physician to take on.
H/T PeakOnline
