N.L. has added 40 doctors since April, but Labrador MHA says north coast needs help, too

Health Minister Tom Osborne says Newfoundland and Labrador has recruited "over 40" physicians and over 170 nurses — comprising registered nurses, licenced practical nurses and nurse practitioners — since April 1.

"Some are going into family practice, some are going into the family-care teams," Osborne said of the recruited physicians on Tuesday.

"With the physicians that we've had come in we've been able to fill areas such as Bonavista, Baie Verte, Carbonear, Clarenville, Fogo [and] Twillingate, for example, with permanent physicians."

Osborne said some of those recruits have already started work, while others will begin between the remainder of August and December. 

He promised that within the next six to eight weeks St. Lawrence, Whitbourne, New-Wes-Valley, Baie Verte and Springdale facilities will operate on at least a Monday to Friday schedule for the following 12 months. 

On the nursing side, Debbie Molloy, vice-president of human resources with Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services (NLHS), said the majority who were hired are from the province's own graduating classes. Others have been recruited from India as the province focuses on luring internationally trained nurses to fill vacancies. 

Molloy said 18 job offers to Indian nurses have been accepted and there are another 40 in the hopper. She said there's also about 450 resumés waiting to be evaluated. 

However, neither Osborne nor Molloy could give an answer as to how many health-care staff members left the system since April. Osborne said some have certainly left, but added there has been a "net gain."

Molloy said the vacancy rate for nurses remains about the same as it did four months ago.

"We've been using agency nursing, as you know, to help fill some of those gaps. We also do know that we are filling ... our permanent gaps," she said.

"So although the rate, when we look overall because it includes our casual workforce as an example, when you peel that onion back then we are starting to make some strides in our vacancy rate." 

But the recruitment effort is far from over.

Osborne said in addition to the two recruitment offices set up in his department and NLHS, the province is bringing global recruitment firms on board to further extend its reach. 

Meanwhile, the NDP MHA for Torngat Mountains, Lela Evans, says the health-care situation in Nain is dire.