The Town of Whitbourne has been without a doctor again this week.

And Mayor Hilda Whelan thinks it has a lot to do with more physicians doing more locums—filling in here and there for short stints.

But she also believes there’s a fundamental lack of communication between the recruiters, the licensing body, and MUN.

Whelan says that extends to her town, and the response from government has worn thin.

“It’s always, we have a recruitment team in place, that is recruiting some good doctors, etc., etc. You never get a number or how many so you kind of just trust the judgement.”

The emergency room at the Dr. William H. Newhook Health Centre has been closed for more than a year due to a shortage of doctors, but an urgent-care clinic was set up six months ago.

There are set days during the week but the lack of staff has played havoc with its hours of operation.

Whelan says most patients from the area travel to Harbour Grace for medical issues, “which simply creates a bottleneck somewhere else.”