After many Strait area patients lost their doctors in recent years, comes news that more people will be without a primary care physician.
In a Facebook post on Feb. 3., Dr. Steven DeRoche confirmed that he will close his family practice at the Arichat Medical Clinic, effective March 1.
DeRoche said he accepted a position to focus on hospitalist work and increase his presence at the Strait Richmond Hospital.
On Feb. 18, the Arichat Medical Clinic issued a press release that remaining doctors Laurie and Scott MacNeil will only see rostered patients and will no longer accept walk-in patients.
Since the remaining doctors can no longer absorb DeRoche’s entire patient load, this will leave some without a physician, the release said. The doctors said they will to retain as many “high need” patients as possible.
MacNeil said those affected will be those whose primary physician was DeRoche.
This will impact Monday evening and Saturday afternoon clinics, the release said, noting the days will be treated as regular clinic hours in which patients will need to book an appointment.
Scott MacNeil explained that, during these clinics, the doctors would see patients from anywhere, whether they had another family doctor.
Since it is a first-come-first served basis, the clinic recommends that affected patients call 811 or register online at: needafamilypractice.nshealth.ca to be on the “Need a Family Practice” list.
MacNeil said they applied to the Department of Health and Wellness earlier this month to list the vacancy so the recruitment process can start.
They also contacted Cape Breton South Recruiting for Health committee as soon as they were told of the departure.
To help with the transition, the public is asked to be “cognizant of time” since the clinic books appointments in 10-minute increments. Because there is one fewer physician and both doctors will have more patients, the clinic pointed out that it will take “much longer” to book an appointment.
These time constraints also limit the time doctors can spend writing patient referrals, the clinic noted.
To help with the process, the clinic pointed to its collaborative care team.
This news comes on the heels of recent departures and retirements of doctors serving local patients; a doctor shortage which has now impacted residents in every part of the region.
And while more people will no longer have a primary care physician, the fact that his departure isn’t entirely negative shows how flawed the system remains.
By accepting the job as hospitalist, DeRoche will now support in-patient and continuing care at the Evanston facility; a move which will help with the long-term future of the hospital, and provide more local services.
But this is also a move which takes the doctor from the Arichat clinic, and as a result, some of his patients no longer have access to a primary care physician. Simultaneously, those already without a doctor who were using the walk-in clinic, no longer have that option.
And it’s not fair to ask that doctors MacNeil take on many more patients than they currently carry, nor for clinic staff to have to deal with many extra files.
The fact that many people are impacted demonstrates the depth of the doctor shortage, and shows how many people continue to rely on primary care physicians, even if there are other collaborative care options available.
Many people want doctors, and if the system was working properly, and there was an adequate number of physicians to go around, a gap like this would be filled in a reasonable amount of time.