Doctor recruitment for Montague ER will take longer than planned, Minister says

Government's plan to cut down on frequent closures at the Kings County Memorial Hospital (KCMH) due to lack of doctors to cover emergency room shifts may not fix the problem immediately, Health Minister Robert Mitchell said Tuesday, warning of further closures in July.

The ER atKCMHin Montaguehas closed at least 20 times since last fall due to a lack of physician coverage.

Government's recently-announced plan to cut down on closures includes hiring two dedicated doctors to cover ER shifts as of July 1, but the province has not been able to recruit them yet, Mitchell told CBCNews:Compasshost Louise Martin on Tuesday.

"We had worked very diligently to try to recruit for those positions we will continue to do that," Mitchell said. "In the short term we're talking to locums."

"Recruitment is difficult, there's no denying that," Mitchell said, adding the province hopes to fill the positions "as soon as possible."

Another key to the province's plan is closing the hospital ER at 8 p.m. instead of 10 whileextending the hours of the clinic next door. Reducing ER hourswill help those doctors and in turnthe public, Mitchell said.

Avoiding doctor burnout

"It will better aid the physicians who are maintaining these hours, [so] they're not getting burned out," he said. "They're receiving the best quality of care when you show up as a patient."

Hours at the medical clinic next door will be extended from 4 to 7 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays, Mitchell said.

"It will allow folks coming in with primary care needs the cold, the cough, they [can] go to their primary care provider and be seen there, and do not have to go to the emergency room," he said.

"That enables those who are suffering acute care issues, such as a broken leg or some severe pain that is not normal, they can show up to the ER and be seen in a readily-available time frame. It's better for the physicians."

'A little bit of time'

The number of patients without a family doctor in the region is down to 300, Mitchell said, and the Kings County regionhas a full physician complement of 12.

Having people with primary health care issues go to the clinic should help significantly, Mitchell said.

"It's going to take us a little bit of time to get there, even more than I had hoped off the get-go. But obviously, as with every other jurisdiction, we're all out trying to recruit the same individuals."

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