The good news is that four new doctors are joining the family medicine team in the County. The challenge is that three of them are taking on existing practices.

That leaves the 2,000-strong Health Care Connect waiting list…waiting.

The successful County Docs physician recruitment program is asking for both another year of funding for 2024, and an increase in incentives to be offered to doctors. Recruiter Adam Hambly detailed his successes at the Committee of the Whole last week in order to secure the funds he needs to carry on and even expand his efforts.

Mr. Hambly is following 11 leads — defined as new doctors who have expressed strong interest in Prince Edward County, and who are ready to start a practice within a year.

The goal is to help draw down the 2,000 orphaned patients languishing on the HCC waitlist. As Mr. Hambly noted, that already high number is almost certainly not representative.

“We know this number is a gross underrepresentation of residents without a family doctor. As part of our deputation today, we have incorporated an idea to address this issue,” Mr Hambly said.

Currently, the recruitment program costs the municipality $250,000 annually. The County’s physician incentive fund grants $100,000. Salaries and programming costs are another $150,000. Mr. Hambly wants a further $100k in increased doctor incentives, to encourage them to take on new patients.

At a time when attracting family physicians has become a veritable blood sport between battling townships across Canada, the County Docs program is a winner.

The shortage of family doctors is the primary reason for slow traction on the Health Care Connect list, but Mr. Hambly noted administrative barriers add to the delay. Rostering new patients from HCC is labour intensive and time consuming. Normally, its done as a practice organically shrinks and grows.

“To try to expedite this process and onboard large numbers of new patients at one time would require a significant increase in administrative and clinical support at a cost not manageable by individual doctors,” he said.

Mr. Hambly suggests offering four $25,000 premiums to any new or existing doctors willing to take on 250 patients from the HCC wait list. Funds could cover costs associated with additional administrative and clinical support, as well as compensate the physician for making additional room in their schedule.

If approved, the plan could — depending on uptake — have a direct impact on the family doctor wait list.