19 doctors expected to start practising in Prairie Mountain Health region in coming months

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This article was published 29/07/2017 (2968 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

An official at Prairie Mountain Health is raving about the largest class of graduating physicians the regional health authority has welcomed since its formation in 2012.

“It’s absolutely incredible,” said Michelle McKay, PMH’s director of medical services administration, of the 18 graduating physicians and one relocated doctor expected to start their practice in southwestern Manitoba in the coming months.

This year’s total is eight more physicians than the number recruited last year.

“For the most part, it’s a good news story. There are still communities that are short of physicians, but there are also communities sitting in a much better position, such as Swan River.”

Swan River will benefit from six physicians beginning their practice in the valley, McKay said.

Mayor Glen McKenzie was enthusiastic to confirm what he heard through the grapevine.

“If this is indeed true, and I’m sure it is … it will be a big boon for us.”

He believed the move would eliminate the need for most, if not all, fill-in physicians, known as locums.

Of the 19 physicians expected in PMH, one individual — a doctor hoping to relocate from the United States to Winnipegosis — is not confirmed yet.

Some of the year’s recruits, who all graduated through the University of Manitoba, have started their medical practice, but most will begin this fall.

They will work in 11 communities in southwestern Manitoba.

Brandon and Dauphin will each welcome two new physicians.

Deloraine will have three physicians with the arrival of two U of M graduates.

A new graduate in Neepawa will give the growing town eight physicians to tend to its needs, and another doctor recruited to Grandview will result in three physicians in the community.

Other communities will gain doctors through the international medical graduate (IMG) program who were also taught at the U of M.

One international graduate will provide Virden with seven physicians. Minnedosa will count its fourth physician because of an IMG recruit, and Glenboro will double its number of practising doctors to two with a new physician this September.

Souris currently has three physicians. With one of those individuals leaving in November, an international medical graduate will essentially replace that physician. The community’s historically had three or four doctors.

In addition to the five international medical graduates accounted for, a sixth doctor will begin practising next January. Their placement has not been determined.

All of the IMGs — settling in Virden, Minnedosa, Souris, Glenboro and Swan River — are required to stay in their communities for four years.

While noting communities like Minnedosa and Souris could utilize another physician, McKay said the job of attracting doctors to settle in rural centres is ongoing.

“Sometimes communities can absorb an additional physician, dependent on somebody reducing the amount of time they’re there or going on a leave, so I’m not sure that I would say that recruitment ever really stops in any community,” she said. “It’s a very fluid number that never really has a minimum or a maximum.”

In Glenboro, they’re thrilled another doctor is on the way.

Residents set a goal of raising $100,000 to hire a professional recruiter to find doctors. In the meantime, they’ve spent money on lodgings used by visiting locums when they’re in town.

Glenboro has only had one doctor for at least a year, explained Myrtle Nichols, secretary of the Glenboro Health Action Committee.

“This is excellent. It gives him support,” she said, referring to Dr. Walter Swanepoel, the town’s lone physician, and the nurse practitioner. “It gives everybody in the community support.”

The volunteer committee won’t stop fundraising, though, or hoping the new physician sticks around. After all, their remaining doctor will likely want to retire soon.

“We’re hoping that we can convince her that this will be the place to stay,” Nichols said with a chuckle when talking about the new physician. “We’ve got a couple years to persuade her.”

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