Health and Social Services Minister Jamie Ballem advised that the 12-point physician recruitment and retention plan introduced by the Province last year is meeting with initial success.
"Our plan is based on the need for a multiple-strategy approach to meet immediate, medium and longer term needs, and there are indications that we are meeting these objectives," said the minister.
Several physicians have recently decided to relocate to Prince Edward Island, such as a physical medicine specialist, psychiatrist, internist and family physician.
Two of those, the husband-and-wife team of Dr. Daniel LeBlond, physical medicine specialist, and Dr. Margaret Simpson, family physician are visiting the province this week. "They are like many young physicians who are looking for rewarding career opportunities, as well as lifestyle opportunities that support family life," said the minister. "PEI has what they are looking for, and we are fortunate to be able to attract these qualified young professionals." Drs. LeBlond and Simpson will be moving to PEI later this spring.
"When we developed our physician recruitment plan, we acknowledged the need to remain flexible and open to change, and this is paying off for us now. For example, in Souris, we introduced a collaborative salaried practice model where physicians work as a team without the pressure of independent practice, and with reduced workloads and on-call requirements. We now have four full-time physicians working in Eastern Kings for the first time ever. We've been able to attract two highly qualified young physicians to Eastern Kings because we created the supportive work environment they were searching for."
Minister Ballem advised that several other strategies are being implemented, such as ensuring access to an adequate supply of medical graduates. "With the recent purchase of two new medical seats at Memorial University, Islanders now have more opportunity than ever before to be accepted to medical school. We are working with our Atlantic partners to ensure that Dalhousie Medical School enrollments meet our current and future needs. Prince Edward Island fully supports increasing enrollments," said the minister. "In addition, we are exploring new options, such as the creation of new residency positions at Dalhousie for international medical graduates which would enable PEI to access these family physician graduates in two, rather than six years."