As a northern doctor himself, Member of Parliament Dr Marcus Powlowski has taken an interest in the healthcare struggles across the Rainy River District.
Two weeks ago, Emo’s emergency ambulance station was closed, in favour of a community paramedicine service. And earlier this week, All of Rainy River’s doctors announced they will be closing their practices this fall.
“I’m certainly sympathetic to the problems of the people in the region. And although this isn’t an area where my government has jurisdiction, I’ve certainly been listening to the problems.”
And what he’s hearing is a familiar tune.
Although Powlowski hasn’t been informed of the details of the resignations, it’s something he’s witnessed many times before. He had spent time working for a company which supplied contract emergency services to ERs that were suddenly short-staffed, including ones in the aftermath of mass resignations.
“Often, there were circumstances that precipitated the loss of a bunch of the doctors, and that’s why we became involved. So I certainly think that often – and I have not spoken to the doctors in Rainy River. I don’t know what all their problems were – but often it comes down to how people feel that they were treated,” said Powlowski. “And not not just by locals – it sounds like the local population was good to them in Rainy River – but, for example, administration, or what services they were allowed to provide. The devil’s always in the details.”
Rural communities across Canada – and even the world – are facing similar problems to the Rainy River district, said Powlowski, who feels the root cause is supply and demand. Doctors are in demand everywhere, giving them the freedom to pick and choose the communities they serve, he said.
Many doctors will choose based on how they’re treated, as people, and how well their spouse and family are treated.
“It’s in that human interaction,” he said.
Urban amenities like lots of restaurants and bars are attractive to some. Others may love small town, rural life, but if a spouse is unhappy, or can’t find employment they find meaningful, they may choose to move on for the sake of their family, he said.
The solution to the problem is ultimately more doctors, said Powlowski. For his government, that’s being addressed through several streams. Medical schools, such as the Northern Ontario School of Medicine are accepting more students and residents. As well, the government has created a fast-track to get foreign doctors qualified. For some, that can be 12 weeks of job shadowing, possibly followed by some formal training. The program is being adopted by several provinces, but Powlowski is hoping to see the numbers increase.
“If you think of a province like Ontario, another 30 or 50 doctors each year is just a drop,” he said.
Powlowski feels different models could also work well in northern Ontario. Having Nurse Practitioners or physician assistants on a staff can be very appealing to many doctors, by having more commonplace calls covered by an assistant. Being a physician assistant could possibly become a pathway for many of the foreign trained doctors, noted Powlowski, who believes that there are many medical professionals who would gladly serve rural and northern communities, if they could settle down in Canada, and do what they love.
For Powlowski, the conversation around doctor shortages in rural Canada needs to continue, and he’s proposing the reinstatement of the National Office of Rural Health, which would be responsible for studying the healthcare issues being faced by rural Canada.
“I think a lot of rural Canadians are are rightly frustrated, that in this day and age, with all the technological developments that have occurred in the last 30 years, and generally a more wealthy society than we had 50 years ago. That despite all these things, the quality of rural healthcare seems to be going backwards.”
