The CEO of NL Health Services calls the urbanization of society the “eternal barrier” preventing some collaborative care clinics from becoming fully established in some regions of the province.

The provincial government introduced the concept some time ago as a way to improve access to family care, particularly in rural areas, but some clinics continue to struggle to gain a full complement of health professionals.

Dr. Pat Parfrey says many physicians and other health care professionals want to work and live in more urban areas, a phenomenon seen across the country.

The issue was part of discussions during a recent meeting in Clarenville with health care providers and community leaders from the Bonavista and Burin Peninsulas.

He cites some of the stats presented by Marystown Mayor Brian Keating.

Parfrey says there were 20,000 people living on the Burin Peninsula 20 years ago, and now they’ve got 16,000. “There are a far smaller proportion of children, and the people leaving the Burin Peninsula are the younger people. So in a situation where the younger people are leaving, it’s hard to think that young people from outside are going to come in to provide health care, so it’s a challenge.”