Local politicians hear the urgent need to recruit more doctors to Northumberland

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By: Dan Jones, Northumberland 89.7 FM, Local Journalism Initiative.

A health agency and a Port Hope family doctor are urging Northumberland County to hire a recruitment agency to begin filling open positions.

Dr. Fraser Cameron, Physician Lead of the Ontario Health Team of Northumberland told Trent Hills Municipal Council Tuesday that the County has been without a recruiter for approximately eight months.

“Over the past year several doctors have walked away from their practices as they were unable to find a replacement. That was something that never happened previously. This is an extremely urgent situation. Physicians were very worried about the lack of a recruiter in our area and advocated for this change without seeing any improvement,” said Cameron.

In late May, the county endorsed a motion to hire an outcomes-based recruiter, focused on securing more physicians and nurse practitioners to the region.

Port Hope Mayor Olena Hankivsky remarked at that meeting that at least 20 new doctors are required in the county and that financial incentives would be needed for the recruitment efforts.

Andrea Groff, the Executive Lead for Ontario Health Team of Northumberland stated that urgency is paramount for attaining more doctors.

“That the county act really, really swiftly to get a recruiter in place, because this is not a nice to have, but this is an urgent need for family doctors to be recruited into Northumberland,” explained Groff.

The West Northumberland Recruitment Program has identified the need for eight physicians in that area with four in Cobourg and one in Port Hope within the next two years.

Trent Hills allocates approximately $ 75,000 annually for recruitment for family physicians. Mayor Bob Crate said recruiting in rural Northumberland will be a bit more challenging as his community is not readily accessible to Highway 401 or amenities for urban centres.