No doctor for Georgetown

The P.E.I. government has turned down a request from Georgetown to hire a doctor to set up practice in the town.

Georgetown had a family physician, Dr. Soha Rizk, lined up willing to work there, and the town was ready to build a health clinic complete with a pharmacy that was ready to set up shop on condition that Rizk's office would be there.

But the province decided to hire a different family physician, to be based in Montague. The government said that doctor has more experience and Montague, a larger community and home to the area's hospital, is short two doctors in its complement.

Georgetown Mayor Peter Llewellyn was told about the decision Monday. He called the decision unfair, saying provincial officials don't know how to manage health care in rural P.E.I., and that the town has lost an opportunity to grow and provide convenient health care for local residents.