Health and Social Services Minister Mildred Dover announced today that the Province's current physician recruitment campaign is beginning to show positive results, through the recruitment of two physicians to the Charlottetown area.
"The recent addition of family physicians to the Polyclinic and the QEH Emergency Room will assist Charlottetown area residents having difficulty accessing a family physician," she said.
"In addition, it will help to reduce the high workload presently being experienced by Charlottetown area physicians."
Dr. Jean-Louis Paré recently began a long term locum arrangement in the practise of Dr. Don Ling. This practice has been without full-time service since June, 1997.
Dr. Paré moved to Prince Edward Island in September from Sainte-Foy, Québec where he practised family medicine in private clinics and Université Laval Hospital since 1985 when he received his doctorate in medicine from Université Laval. Dr. Paré also has a master's degree in experimental medicine and biomedical engineering. He has professional experience in hospital care, emergency medicine, family medicine and geriatric home care. Dr. Paré is married with 2 children, and they live in West Royalty.
Dr. Marc Paris recently joined the Queen Elizabeth Hospital as an Emergency Room physician. Dr. Paris is a graduate of the UBC Medical School and completed his residency in family medicine at Dalhousie in 1996. In 1996-1997 he provided temporary family medicine coverage in both British Columbia and Prince Edward Island.
Recruitment of the physicians was a combined effort of he Department of Health and Social Services, Queens Region Health and the Medical Society of PEI.
Presently the Prince Edward Island complement for family physicians and emergency room physicians allows for at least four additional physicians, partly resulting from two temporary physician vacancies which occurred recently in Charlottetown at the same time.
An aggressive recruitment campaign is presently ongoing. Minister Dover said the Department has received several positive inquiries, and she is hopeful that more physicians will be recruited soon.