Slave Lake still struggling to find doctors

Doctors remain hard to findin Slave Lake despite assurances from the province it would recruitphysicians for the fire-ravaged northern Alberta town.

The town of 7,000,recovering froma massivewildfire last summer, has lost five of its 13 doctors.

Alberta Health Services assured residentsin October it was trying to recruit five physicians for the town three family physicians, as well as a general practitioner with anaesthetic experience and a general practitioner with obstetrical experience.

But as nodoctors have been hired,the remaining care-givers are tired.

"My most serious concern is the increased volume of work and with that always comes the fear that because you're seeing more people in the same time, one might miss something," said Dr. Daniel Payne, the only doctor left working at his clinic.

"We give the best quality care we can and at the end of the dayI just take a deep breath and I'm grateful the day's over."

Alberta Health Services said it is bringing in visiting doctors while it continues to recruit.