Dr. Patrick McCrea will be joining the complement of general surgeons in Prince Edward Island basing his practice in Charlottetown, says Minister of Health and Wellness, Doug Currie.
“Our government is committed to providing better care for patients and alleviating the pressures on our current system,” said Minister Currie. “This past April, we added an additional surgical position to the overall complement bringing the total of general surgeons in the province to seven as it is government’s goal to decrease the current surgeons’ patient loads and provide more consistent patient care. Our Recruitment and Retention Secretariat has worked diligently to fill this position, and I am pleased to welcome Dr. McCrea to our health care team.”
Dr. McCrea has just finished his residency training in General Surgery at Dalhousie University and completed his medical school training at the University of British Columbia in 2008. Dr. McCrea is set to start work in August. Notice will be provided to family physicians for referral purposes once a location for Dr. McCrea’s practice has been determined.
“I am looking forward to relocating to Charlottetown and excited about providing further endoscopy and general surgery services to the residents of PEI,” said Dr. McCrea.
In order to enhance capacity for more surgical services, major renovations are currently underway for Pre-Surgery Clinic, Day Surgery Unit, PACU and Ophthalmology Suite at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. This $7.95 million physical expansion at the QEH will increase space and provide better access to surgical services for Islanders.
“Dr. McCrea will be a valuable addition to General Surgery on the Island, as he will improve access to general surgical services, and will provide much needed stability with respect to general surgery on-call coverage at the QEH,” said Dr. Rosemary Henderson, QEH Medical Director.
“Our government continues to work towards better access and better care throughout our entire health care system,” said Minister Currie. “The Queen Elizabeth Hospital provides health care services for Islanders from all regions of the province. As we build on our complement of general surgeons, we are building it to meet the needs of Islanders not only for today, but for future generations.