CRAPAUD, P.E.I. — Ian Dennison, co-chairman of the South Shore Health and Wellness Centre, hasn’t had a family doctor since last summer. He isn’t alone. The roughly 2,300 patients who use the centre are currently without a primary health-care provider.
“Which is much more than a doctor fresh out of medical school is normally willing to take on,” he said. “The competition for doctors, especially throughout the Maritimes, is pretty fierce.”
That’s why residents are holding a public meeting Tuesday, March 5 on the state of health care in the South Shore area. The meeting, to be held at Englewood School, is open to the public, and it starts at 7 p.m.
Ideally, the centre should have one full-time physician and two nurse practitioners, Dennison said.
“The competition for doctors, especially throughout the Maritimes, is pretty fierce.”
-Ian Dennison
Lisa Gallant, secretary of the centre, said centre staff is working to provide more health-care services.
“We are talking to potential physicians who may want to practise in the area in the future.”
The centre is offering walk-in clinics on weekdays and has massage and physiotherapy services. But a full-time physician or nurse practitioner would allow more residents to be taken care of.
For the last year and a half, the centre has been meeting with Health P.E.I. and the Department of Health and Wellness. The government is advertising to have a full-time nurse practitioner provide some primary health-care at the clinic.
Tuesday's meeting will help inform South Shore residents what they can do. Only about half of the centre’s patients are in the provincial patient registry, so the centre is encouraging more to sign up, Gallant said.
“I’m not sure government is aware how much this means to people in the area.”
The goal is to continue advocating for the area, Dennison said.
“We feel that if we keep making our case, keep the population informed and keep the population active, the better our chances of getting the services we need.”
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