Roxanna Thompson
Northern News Services

Hay River (Nov 07/05) - The Hay River Health and Social Services Authority is dealing with the double blow of the resignation of their chief of staff and an upcoming doctor shortage.

Dr. Tina Lacerte resigned her position as chief of staff and medical director. - NNSL file photo

Dr. Tina Lacerte resigned her position as the chief of staff and medical director at the health authority board meeting on Oct. 27.

Lacerte is finishing her second term in this position. Her resignation becomes effective on Dec. 1, but she will continue in her role as a family physician.

Inefficiencies at the medical clinic is one of the reasons Lacerte gave for resigning.

The hospital is currently looking for another physician to fill the role, said Paul Viera, the CEO of the health authority.

Ideally this will be a physician who is there regularly, she said.

The chief of staff and medical director is in charge of the quality of medical care, the medical clinic and works as a liaison between the doctors and the administration. Only two local physicians will be at the H.H. Williams Memorial Hospital between Dec. 22 and Jan. 2.

"We'll be able to provide the urgent and emergency care that is needed," assured Viera.

This is a recurring problem. Physician numbers have dropped to two before as recently as this summer.

Four or five is the number of doctors Viera would like to see at the hospital, but he notes that the lack of doctors is an issue across Canada.

"We recognize that it's a difficult supply and demand market for physicians," he said.

There are currently seven doctors at the hospital.

That looks like a higher than usual number, but most of these physicians are in short-term commitments.

The hospital hosted two walk-in prescription clinics on Nov. 2 and 4 to help alleviate some of the backlog the shortage will cause. More than 35 people came to the first clinic.

"It takes some of the load off the need for appointments," said Viera.

Recruiting efforts are ongoing. A physician recruiter has been hired to look for both permanent and short-term doctors, Viera said.

"I'm concerned about the doctor shortage," said Hay River MLA Jane Groenewegen.

The community has a responsibility to work on the problem.

"The town has a bit of a marketing job to do," she said, because not everyone wants to live in a small remote Northern town. Viera plans to tell the public more about the expected physician shortage at the end of the month.