The provincial government is announcing new measures today to help support the recruitment and retention of physicians.
The NLMA last week released a survey showing 24 per cent of people asked do not have a family doctor. Extrapolating the numbers, that equates to about 125,000 Newfoundlanders and Labradorians without a family physician according to the Medical Association.
On Friday, the province announced that it was launching public consultations to examine barriers to foreign qualification recognition and identify opportunities for improvement.
Yesterday Dr. Pat Parfrey, a member of the Health Accord, was named as the Deputy Minister of Health Transformation.
Premier Andrew Furey will be joined by Memorial University Dean of Medicine Dr. Margaret Steele and medical student Georgia Darmonkow today at noon at MUN to announce the latest measures.
VOCM News will be there.
Meanwhile. virtual ER services have been set up at the Rufus Guichard Health Centre in Port Saunders to fill the gap left by a temporary physician shortage.
Patients arriving at the facility’s emergency department will be assessed virtually from now until 6 p.m. tomorrow.
Western Health says a health care provider will be available on-site to help patients who will be assessed virtually and then transported to the most appropriate hospital as needed.
