For Immediate Release
August 21, 2024
Labrador West MHA Jordan Brown wrote John Hogan, the new Minister for Health, today about the lack of recruitment for a doctor in Labrador West. Brown calls on government to double their efforts, as they see the health care workers struggling with the workload.
In Budget 2023, government announced a Family Care Team for Labrador West, yet government still has not been able to recruit the two physicians for the clinic. Brown says that with a long wait list and the inaccessibility of health care for Labradorians, government should focus on getting these doctors secured for residents.
Brown is concerned that the lack of recruitment for the Family Care Team is adding too much pressure to the existing workers, and fears they may leave the district to work elsewhere. “As time continues to pass, I fear that more health professionals will resign or move due to an ever-growing workload, made heavier by the current vacancies,” Brown wrote.
“Our district cannot wait any longer. I therefore ask that you re-double your efforts to find two additional physicians to serve on our Family Care Team, as a start. This would go a long way to reducing wait times in the emergency room and resolving other bottlenecks in our local system.”
A copy of the full letter is attached.
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For further information, contact Stephanie Curran, Media Relations Manager, NDP Caucus at 330-0328 (o), or stephaniecurran@gov.nl.ca
Department of Health and Community Services
P.O. Box 8700, West Block
Confederation Building
100 Prince Philip Drive
St. John’s, NL A1B 4J6
August 21, 2024
Minister Hogan,
I am writing to express my concerns about the efforts to recruit healthcare professionals for the Labrador West region.
The Family Care Team for my district was announced in the 2023 Budget. We are now in August 2024 and we still do not have two physicians secured for the clinic. Even before the commitment to open a facility in Labrador West, we have struggled for the past six years to recruit physicians and other health professionals, let alone retain the ones currently practicing here. As time continues to pass, I fear that more health professionals will resign or move due to an ever-growing workload, made heavier by the current vacancies. Without prompt action by your government, my constituents and I fear that the problem will become worse before it gets better.
This issue is of particular concern for us, as we are far removed from the St. John’s tertiary treatment area. We are worried that the delay in recruiting health professionals will lead to the cancelling of services and procedures that were once routine in Labrador West, meaning more frequent, costly trips to St John’s. This is no longer a sustainable practice for our region, which is now home to 10,000 residents, and at least another 1,000 fly-in fly-out workers on a regular basis.
Our district cannot wait any longer. I therefore ask that you re-double your efforts to find two additional physicians to serve on our Family Care Team, as a start. This would go a long way to reducing wait times in the emergency room and resolving other bottlenecks in our local system.
Regards,
Jordan Brown
MHA for Labrador West
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