Fire ravaged town losing almost half its doctors

An Alberta town struggling to get back on its feet after adevastating wildfire last summer was dealt another blow when Slave Lake councillors learnedfive of its 13 doctors are leaving.

"We're trying to manage a lot obviously with the recovery," said Mayor Karina Pillay-Kinnee."It's definitely a setback."

Last Monday Pillay-Kinnee learned the doctors are leaving for a variety of reasons, but the firedid play a role in some of the doctors'decisions.

One-third of Slave Lake, including businesses and homes, was destroyed in thefire in mid-May.

Pillay-Kinnee fears the departures willaffect access to healthcare, increase waiting times,reduce on-call capacity at the hospital and lead to burnout of the remaining health professionals.

"We're very, very concerned," she said.

Most vexing however is the loss of the town's only anaesthetist.

Pillay-Kinnee iswaiting to meet with the remaining physicians and political leaders in the regionto look for long-term and short-term solutions.

"We're going to have to identify what challenges that poses," she said. "It's definitely a concern for the whole community."

Health Minister Fred Horne told the legislature Tuesdayhelp will be made available for Slave Lake until the problem is resolved.

"The Alberta Medical Association has assisted us in arranging coverage for the emergency department at the hospital," he said.

Pillay-Kinnee also points out the Slave Lake recoveryplan allocated $2 million for health services.

"Recruitment will definitely be top priority," she said. "Health services are essential for this area and we do serve a large trading area, so it's not just Slave Lake."