By Michelle Poirier [1]
BELLEVILLE – New family physicians have signed five-year contracts with the Quinte West Medical Centre [2] as part of city efforts to bring more doctors to the area.
Dr. Ashley Minuk and Dr. Fraser Pollard finished their family practice residency at Queen’s University [3] this year. They began seeing patients in August.
Dr. Richard Wiginton, board president of the Brighton Quinte West Family Health Team, said in a news release that this is great for local residents.
“To be able to welcome two physicians to this clinic and community is wonderful news for the residents of the area who have been without a family doctor,” he said.
Quinte West has established a program under which new family doctors receive $20,000 a year for five years upon signing an agreement to operate their medical practice in the Quinte West Medical Centre.
Jim Harrison, the mayor of Quinte West, said the program has brought some doctors to the area, but there is still have room for more since there is a shortage of general practitioners in the area.
“We’re actively recruiting, but (the program) is certainly an incentive that helps. That money actually helps them to establish a practice. When we do take on one we are really hopeful that they will stay with us longer than the five-year term. That’s what were very hopeful for. In some cases we’re lucky and they do,” he said.
Harrison said that Minuk and Pollard are replacing and taking on the patients of two doctors who have left the Quinte West Medical Centre.
While Quinte West would like to see the total number of doctors in the area increase, “we’re thankful that we’re able to replace the doctors who are retiring,” Harrison said. “And we hope that the new (doctors) may even attract some other ones, because these are recent graduates and they have a lot of friends in school. So hopefully they will be able to attract some other ones to come here.”
Quinte West Medical Centre has said that currently the two new doctors are only seeing the existing patients, but that when they do start seeing new patients it will be through Health Care Connect [4], a program that helps find doctors or nurse practitioners for people who do not have one or who want to change family heath care providers.