The number of people without a family doctor in the province is on the rise, according to the Newfoundland and Labrador Medical Association.

President Dr. Gerard Farrell says it is tough to give exact numbers, but says that the number has risen to about 144,000 people without a family physician.

While Farrell admits that is a “large number,” he notes that the province has done a lot in terms of recruitment and retention.

That said, the fruits of some of those efforts will take time. For example, people won’t see the effects of increasing seats in the medical school for another six years or so.

One short terms solution, Farrell explains, involves the amount of paperwork doctors have to do.

He says a recent study shows that doctors are doing roughly 10 hours of unnecessary paperwork per week, and that is taking time away from their families and in some cases, forcing doctors to close their practices for part of the day to catch up.