Photo: Shane Clausing / EverythingGP, staff

By Abby Zieverink

Trying to attract doctors

MLA Allard working to attract and retain physicians to Peace Region

Jan 30, 2022 | 6:00 AM

Grande Prairie MLA Tracy Allard recognizes there is a need for more doctors in the Grande Prairie area and says she is working to help attract and retain physicians to the Swan City.

Currently, no family physicians are taking new patients through the Primary Care Network in Grande Prairie, a situation many rural and remote areas are facing in the North Zone.

“Definitely we recognize we need more doctors in Grande Prairie, there is no question,” stated Allard.

“I actually am working with a few physicians that are local to Grande Prairie that work in the instruction of rural doctors and they work to secure training spots for physicians coming to the north and to rural Alberta.”

She says over the last two weeks, these physicians have shared the concerns and trends among doctors they have been noticing.

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“Trends like a desire for a different work/life balance from younger doctors coming out of med school. Our programs are predicated on decades back decisions that were made, and we need to update some of those programs.”

With that, Allard explains she is working closely with the ministry, identifying opportunities to attract and retain physicians, nurses, and nurse practitioners.

She suggests a key initiative to attract physicians to rural Alberta, including in Grande Prairie was the Rural Health Professional Action Plan funding announcement from the province back in March 2021.

The announcement came from Alberta’s former Health Minister Tyler Shandro on March 27, 2021, stating the government would be shelling out $6 million over three years to help attract medical students to work in rural Alberta.

READ MORE: Province announces $6 million towards rural physician recruitment

Allard says part of that funding announcement will help guarantee seats for rural Albertans applying to medical school.

“I think that is going to change the game in terms of getting people to come to rural (Alberta) and stay in rural (Alberta),” Allard added.

“I’ll use my own children as an example, all three were born and raised in Grande Prairie. A child that was born and raised in a rural or remote community is more likely to go back and settle there, than someone who grew up in Toronto, Vancouver, Edmonton, or Calgary. They might go to train in Grande Prairie, but they are not as likely to stay.”

Allard hopes between working with the ministry to attract and retain physicians to rural and remote areas along with the provincial funding for rural Alberta medical students, will in turn, help recruit and retain physicians to the Grande Prairie area.

Over the last three years as an MLA, Allard says she has also spoken with several doctors, wanting to see a strengthening of the Primary Care Network, such as family physicians.

She suggests as more physicians become settled in rural and northern Alberta it will help take pressure off the emergency side of the hospital, particularly emergency rooms.

“My grandpa used to always say, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. When you look at the care people can’t get if they can’t get a family physician, more of that care and more of that burden is being transferred to the hospital, which is not the most efficient or the best place for a patient to go, and I understand why they are doing that.”

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It is not known when the Grande Prairie area will see new local physicians accepting new patients.