New Doctors for Strait-Richmond Area

As a result of an aggressive recruiting campaign, the Richmond County area now has four new physicians, including a full-time, in-house doctor for the Strait-Richmond Hospital, Health Minister Jim Smith announced today.

Dr. C. K. Thomas will begin work at the Strait-Richmond Hospital Monday, Oct. 19. A physician working at the hospital on a temporary basis is scheduled to leave the facility Friday, Oct. 16. Dr. Thomas' arrival means there will be no interruption in service at the hospital, thereby assuring continuous 24-hour coverage at this facility.

Dr. Marcel Couture and Dr. Celine Finn set up practice last month in Arichat under Nova Scotia's under-serviced areas incentive program. On Nov. 1, a third general practitioner, Dr. T. Ginige will open a practice in L'Ardoise under the same incentive program.

Dr. Smith said, "While the Health Department obviously played a key role in securing the additional doctors for the Richmond County area, credit must also be given to the Eastern Regional Health Board, local community recruitment committees and the MLAs for the area. Everyone has worked very hard to secure these additional physicians."

Dr. Smith said the department will continue recruitment efforts to find additional doctors for the Port Hawkesbury and St. Peter's areas.

"The Department of Health places a very high priority on the recruitment of new doctors not only in Richmond County, but in all other areas of the province faced with a shortage of physicians.

"It is not an easy task. There are no unemployed doctors in Canada and so we must convince physicians to relocate their practices here. At the same time, we are in competition with all the other provinces."

Dr. Smith said he is confident that the government will continue to make good progress in recruiting physicians because Nova Scotia has developed one of the best rural incentive programs in the country.