FORT NELSON -- Airport Way Medical Clinic is recruiting locums after two of the five doctors in the city have announced they are leaving. The clinic needs family practitioners who can also do emergency call at the hospital.
As an incentive, Fort Nelson is offering to provide housing and a vehicle for the doctors. Northern Health is also offering relocation bonuses.
Like many rural and remote areas, Fort Nelson often experiences doctor shortages. The clinic frequently recruits doctors through BC’s Practice Ready Assessment Program, where international doctors are placed in communities that need them for 3-year periods. However, they often leave after that.
According to Dr. Marius Mostert, a physician at Airport Way Medical Clinic, this puts a lot of pressure on the remaining doctors to pick up the slack.
“We feel that sometimes we don’t get the support from the health authorities,” says Dr. Mostert. “We feel to some degree that we are standing here on our own, and just trying to make do with what you’ve got here.”
As they continue the recruitment process, Dr. Mostert says they will continue to take patients at the clinic. However, he expects wait times to get longer, both at the clinic and at the hospital.
