Medical Coverage Not Affected at Souris Hospital

The Province wishes to assure all residents served by the Souris Hospital that medical coverage will not be affected by the recent withdrawal of services by local physician Dr. Paul Berrow.

Immediately upon receiving Dr. Berrow’s letter of withdrawal on November 29, the Province began rearranging for locum coverage to ensure no disruptions to medical services provided by the hospital.

In addition to the one permanent physician currently providing coverage, two locum physicians have agreed to assist in providing coverage for the Souris Hospital for the month of December. Additional locum coverage has been arranged for the new year and the Province is optimistic an additional permanent physician will be in place by February 2008. Medical Coverage for the Souris Hospital has not and will not be affected.

The Province remains committed to providing all Islanders with the highest quality health care. Improvements are actively being pursued through ongoing physician recruitment, the establishment of an office of health recruitment, the establishment of a residency program and the recent negotiation and purchase of additional medical school seats.