Doctors for all still a P.E.I. target

P.E.I. is at an all-time high with 96 family doctors in the province, and the government isn't giving up on its goal of a doctor for every Islander, says Health Minister Carolyn Bertram.

The renewed promise came Tuesday after a week of bad news regarding doctors, and a registry of patients waiting for a doctor that still has more than 6,000 patients on it. Bertram said physician recruitment is moving in the right direction.

"Our population on Prince Edward Island has grown and that's impacting on our numbers as well. But that's fine. We're making sure that we're adhering to that promise, to that commitment, of a doctor for every Islander," she said.

"Just in the last month, there's been 1,000 people taken off the patient registry and placed with physicians across P.E.I. So that's important. We're continuing to recruit as well, and we're hoping to have upwards of three new doctors, family doctors, coming to P.E.I. this fall."

Registry numbers a moving target

In an email to CBC News Tuesday, Health PEI showed patient registry numbers can be complicated to interpret.

As of Tuesday that number sat at 6,019, but that did not include the 4,300 patients of Dr. Robbie Coull. Coull said he has stopped seeing patients, but the government said its records show he is not leaving the Island until Oct. 24. The province is prepared to add any of those patients who ask to the registry.

On the plus side, two new doctors are expected in Charlottetown who will take 2,000 to 3,000 patients off the registry in early September.

In Souris, locums are covering the patients of Dr. David Morgan, who left after a contract dispute with Health PEI. A fourth doctor for the area, previously recruited, will arrive in the fall. Health PEI hopes to recruit a replacement for Morgan soon, and don't believe his patients will ever have to go on the registry.

Strained relationship

Relations between doctors and Health PEI have been testy recently.

The 1,000 patients recently taken off the registry are now being seen by doctors on salary who were warned they weren't seeing enough patients.

A recent letter from Health PEI terminating contract service for two dozen family physicians also angered the medical community. It was that letter that led to Morgan quitting. The letter said the doctors must switch to salary or fee for service, but that letter has since been rescinded.

Health PEI said the change was to keep up with Canada Revenue Agency rules, but in the end the tax department said there were no issues.

Bertram has asked Health PEI to look at whether there is a need to compensate doctors over the dispute. Bertram said she wants to know if doctors lost money after being forced to a new way of doing business

"If there are some that have incurred some concerns or issues relative to making that change then I've asked staff at Health PEI to look into the matter," she said.

Bertram said it is too early to tell if compensation would be extended to nurses and other staff who lost work as result of the Health PEI ruling.