Four more doctors for Thompson are among six family physicians recently recruited by the Northern Regional Health Authority (NRHA) to work in Northern Manitoba, the health minister announced Oct. 3
The other two new doctors will be stationed in Flin Flon.
“Recruiting physicians to work in the north can be challenging, but I want to congratulate the Northern Regional Health Authority for its hard work,” said Health Minister Kelvin Goertzen in a press release. “These new physicians will ensure consistent, reliable care is available to patients in communities across the region.”
“We are pleased to welcome these physicians to our region," said NRHA CEO Helga Bryant. "Having these physicians join our team will help increase our capacity for patients to experience improved access to medical services. Physician recruitment is an ongoing process that we continue to work on to meet the needs of our residents. We encourage everyone to make these doctors feel welcome and become an integral part of our community.”
Goertzen said stakeholders including the Manitoba Healthcare Providers Network, the College of Physicians and Surgeons, the Max Rady College of Medicine at the University of Manitoba and the province's Office of Rural and Northern Health are working together to encourage doctors to work in Northern Manitoba.
“This teamwork is key to helping physicians recognize the opportunities and rewards of building their careers in a northern town or city,” said Goertzen.
“The recruitment of new doctors for Northern Manitoba has been a priority for our new Progressive Conservative government, a priority that is shared by the Northern Regional Health Authority,” said Thompson MLA Kelly Bindle in a press release. “It is very exciting to see these recruitment efforts paying off and delivering more care to our region. I am pleased to welcome these new doctors and their families to the north.”
An NRHA spokesperson told the Thompson Citizen Sept. 20 that three new doctors had been hired to work at the Thompson clinic when asked why patients whose appointments were cancelled sometimes had to wait several more weeks for a new appointment.
"The Northern Health Region is currently experiencing delays to see a health care provider in the Thompson clinic," said NRHA communications co-ordinator Twyla Storey in an email. "When the situation arises that requires appointments to be rescheduled, this unfortunately causes a further delay in getting a timely appointment."
