'We're drowning': N.L. physician discusses critical family doctor shortage
CBC
Some 99,000 people in this province — about one in every five people — are without a family doctor, according to research by the Newfoundland and Labrador Medical Association.
The shortage has all kinds of repercussions, from overbooked clinics to long wait times, and it's affecting both patients and physicians alike.
Nicole Stockley is a family physician at Summerhill Clinic in Conception Bay South. She says attempts to recruit another doctor for her clinic have been fruitless.
Dr. Stockley shared her experience dealing with the doctor shortage with the CBC's Adam Walsh.
Can you give us a little bit more of an overview of the current situation at your clinic?
Our clinic services about 10,000 patients. The clinic has been around for quite a long time, about 35 years, and at the end of June, the physician who established the practice retired. Since he retired, we haven't been able to recruit a new family physician.
How many patients were impacted by the doctor's departure?
