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The County of Stettler council agreed to send its concerns about a rural physician shortage across Alberta to a lobby group. The decision was made at the Aug. 14 regular meeting of council.
On the “council’s request for information” part of the agenda Coun. Justin Stevens asked his peers to consider approving a formal resolution to the Rural Municipalities Association (RMA) to develop a strategy addressing the shortage of medical professionals in rural Alberta.
It was noted at the meeting the Town of Hinton has already approved and sent a similar resolution to its municipal lobby group, the Alberta Municipalities (AbMunis).
Stevens began by telling his peers it’s clear from speaking to other rural municipalities, everyone seems to be in the same boat when it comes to rural communities having a difficult time recruiting and retaining medical professionals.
Stevens stated he knows the County of Stettler recently modernized some of its recruitment and retention policies and made a new agreement with the Town of Stettler, but Stevens continued by saying he felt this was only nibbling at the edges of the problem of rural physician shortage.
He pointed out employment of medical professionals is influenced by many different agencies and departments, including Alberta Health Services (AHS), the College of Physicians and Surgeons and others. “Ultimately this is a far bigger problem than we can solve,” said Stevens.
Stevens repeated that Hinton is requesting the province look at developing a rural physician recruitment plan and if small urban communities are also facing this problem, then perhaps rural municipalities need to step up join the chorus; Stevens pondered that the provincial government might be more likely to develop such a plan if urbans and rurals speak with one voice.
Coun. Stevens noted that there have been recruitment efforts made with the Government of Alberta’s Rural Health Professionals Action Plan (RhPAP) with “…very mixed results.”
Coun. James Nibourg then asked, “Do you think RPAP is doing a very good job?”
Coun. Stevens answered, “No.”
Coun. Nibourg then responded, “I would agree with you on that.”
According to its website RPAP was, “Established in 1991 by the Government of Alberta as the Alberta Rural Physician Action Plan, and originally focused on supporting practising rural physicians, RhPAP has grown to be a broader rural community health workforce attraction and retention resource, an ally with Alberta’s medical schools, as well as a trusted, collaborative partner for rural Alberta communities trying to achieve greater access to health care.”
During discussion councillors were concerned they might duplicate another’s municipalities rural physician resolution already on the books; county staff stated they did a search of current and existing rural physician recruitment resolutions at RMA and it appears there are none, so the County of Stettler could proceed with advancing one.
Staff also noted the County of Paintearth voiced interest in supporting the County of Stettler’s resolution.
Coun. Les Stulberg mentioned he’d seen media coverage of Ontario urban municipalities also seeing an exodus of medical professionals, notably leaving family medicine. Apparently, according to Stulberg, those medical professionals stated family medicine was no longer financially viable.
Stevens responded that statistics show that the physician shortage is felt more acutely in rural areas.
Councillors unanimously passed a motion to have a resolution drafted on the rural physician shortage which will be presented at an upcoming RMA convention.
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