The MHA for Stephenville-Port au Port considers the physician shortage in the area alarming.

Tony Wakeham says Western Health has nine physician vacancies, and there are only four family physicians practising in Stephenville.

Wakeham made the comments in reaction to Western Health’s statement yesterday that it is actively recruiting to fill vacant positions at the Sir Thomas Roddick Hospital in Stephenville.

He says those nine physicians had a significant workload, leaving a large number of people in the Stephenville area without access to a family physician. He calls the situation a “complete failure of the Liberal government’s recruitment efforts” and says immediate action is needed.