NB not doing enough to recruit doctors, says one

Dr. Andrew MacLean, a resident physician in Fredericton, says there is no indication the province has stepped up its recruitment efforts over the past few years.

Are we calling new family physicians to ask if they want to work here?he says.

Dr. Andrew MacLean says newly graduated doctors are not contacted by the province in a timely manner. Some physicians even bothered to contact the province to assess job opportunities, but received no news.

More and more orphan patients

Last week, the Ministry of Health confirmed that 63,000 people are on the Patient Access NB list, compared to 55,000 in February.

A task force tasked with developing a new health plan attributes the increase to the retirement of some doctors and the province’s population growth.

According to a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Health, Michelle Guenard, 181 positions for doctors were to be filled in the province in May. Of this number, 82 of them were intended for general practitioners and doctors in emergency rooms.

Inspired by NS?

Dr. MacLean points out that Nova Scotia’s recruitment strategy is more aggressive, seeking local, national and international employees. According to him, this strategy is paying off, even though it is one of the provinces with the lowest salaries.

Their recruiters are more tenacious than a mosquito trying to squeeze through a screen door, like they’re everywhere!launches Dr. MacLean.

Nova Scotia created a health care recruitment office last year, intended solely for hiring new physicians.

Last week, the province said that 160 doctors have been recruited since the creation of this agency. This is higher than the past three years, when the number of new hires was around 128.

They have a team of 12 people working full time on this project and they are looking for more. And they are people who have expertise in the field of tourism, marketing and businesssays Dr. MacLean.

According to him, part of the problem is that it is not clear who is responsible for recruiting in New Brunswick.

What is New Brunswick doing?

The province has put in place incentives to welcome doctors in rural areas, specialists and doctors in emergency rooms, said a spokesperson for the Ministry of Health, Michelle Guenard.

She says the budget for these incentives is $5 million and the amounts offered to healthcare workers range from $20,000 to $100,000.

It is not clear if New Brunswick has its own recruiting committee.

The Department of Health says a recruitment event will take place this week, with people from the health care community who will come up with a plan.

The Horizon Health Network specifies that there are, however, physician recruiters within the network.

Dr. Andrew MacLean believes that no matter who does the recruiting, it has to be an efficient process. “I think most New Brunswickers would say they don’t care who takes the initiative, someone has to.

Based on a report by CBC’s Hadeel Ibrahim