PORT HAWKESBURY: A town councillor who is part of the local physician recruitment committee said there could be some good news coming in the near future.
Last March, the Cape Breton South Recruiting for Health Committee took six practice-ready physicians on a tour of the region.
“There may be some news coming out just as a result of that visit which I think is going to very beneficial to the area,” Port Hawkesbury Deputy Mayor Blaine MacQuarrie told The Reporter. “I’m not going to say much more on that. We’ll see how things unfold.”
On December 1, MacQuarrie told the regular monthly meeting of Port Hawkesbury Town Council about “positive” developments.
MacQuarrie said Dr. Ed Pilon arrived in the area from Ontario on November 21 and is already taking shifts at the Strait-Richmond Hospital, the Dr. Kingston Memorial Health Centre, as well as the Collaborative Health Practice Centre in Port Hawkesbury. He has experience in family and emergency care.
“He’s looking to retire within the next year, and he’s checking out the communities to see where he’d like to retire to,” MacQuarrie explained.
Dr. Adam Kading moved to Antigonish from Ontario with his family, and is working at St. Martha’s Regional Hospital, as well as the Strait-Richmond Hospital. Dr. Kading is a family medicine emergency room physician, and will be in the area for the next six months.
“He’s just trying to figure out where in the community he’d like to settle,” MacQuarrie noted.
He said there was a welcome reception held at the Port Hawkesbury Civic Centre last Friday for the two physicians.
“The remained impressed with the hospitality that’s been extended to them already,” the deputy mayor stated.
MacQuarrie told council that the Nova Scotia Health Authority is currently advertising for two physicians to staff the collaborative care centre in the town.
After receiving thanks from mayor Brenda Chisholm-Beaton for his efforts, MacQuarrie passed some along kudos to the mayor for her efforts, then town councillors Hughie MacDougall, Jason Aucoin and Mark MacIver all stressed the need for more health care professionals in the area.
“It’s because of the work of our committee that we struck in January of this year, that these sorts of things are coming about,” MacQuarrie added. “Those are good news things.”