Division over the idea of having another medical practice in Whitecourt

 

 

A group of doctors from Calgary have eyed Whitecourt as a potential community to open a private practice. Not much is known about the group yet aside from the fact that they are interested in the community, and council is looking forward to learning more about it. Council has repeatedly said that Whitecourt is open for business and that being able to have new products and services provided locally would be a benefit to residents.

Towards the end of the July 23 regular meeting, council shared a letter they recently received from a local doctor. Letters sent to council in this manner are considered public record. Written by Dr. Jane Ojedokun, the Associate Zone Medical director for Area 4 North Zone and the Community Medical Director the Whitecourt Healthcare Centre, the letter is not favourable of the possibility of having another practice in Whitecourt.

 

She stated that doctors in Whitecourt have worked hard to provide good medical care and that they are invested in the community and residents. She said that though she agrees that more services are needed in town, the one thing that she feels isn’t needed are more family doctors. “Currently there are 14 doctors in town working out of two family medical clinics. Both clinics provide same-day access for our patients,” wrote Dr. Ojedokun.

 

She also stated bringing more doctors to Whitecourt would be detrimental to the work she and others have done in recruiting and retaining doctors in the community. “We are currently working hard on providing care in line with the vision of the health minister of establishing medical homes for our patients and setting up a new clinic in the small town of Whitecourt is everything but against this vision.”

 

Council spoke candidly about the letter and were not entirely impressed with the implications it brought forward. Several members felt that the letter was a bit self-serving especially the part where Dr. Ojedokun said that the group from Calgary had not reached out to current local doctors to ask permission before coming. Councillor Pickard questioned that. “Is that required in some way that somebody who wants to put a business in town has to consult with their competitors before they come?” He also felt that having a group wanting to set up a practice in Whitecourt should be a sign that local recruitment is working and didn’t understand how anyone could consider that detrimental to retaining doctors. “Our community must be attractive to professionals, and I feel that we shouldn’t be picky.”

 

Councillor Schlosser agreed. “To me, this amounts to protectionism, and that’s not what we’re about in the community. I don’t understand where we as a community would have control over the number of doctors who want to come here and want to set up shop. We are trying to serve the community by bringing in as many doctors as we can and, though we haven’t invited anyone to come. If someone wants to come here then that’s a personal business decision, and I don’t see how that has anything to do with the community.”

 

Councillor Connell felt that if local doctors are doing a great job that they shouldn’t worry about other doctors wanting to come in. “I’m not going to change my family doctor because two or three more doctors are coming to town because I’m happy with the doctor I have. I don’t understand what the worry would be with providing a great service. It sounds like these doctors from Calgary were going to be providing some other services so that wouldn’t affect the doctors here anyway.”

 

Mayor Chichak said the letter put council in a bad position. “I’ve made it very clear to both sides, the physicians here and the ones who want to come here, that we’re just in the business of promoting health care in our community. We believe in free enterprise and the ability of any industry or any business being able to set up shop in Whitecourt and, for the lack of a better word, it’s survival of the fittest. I don’t know whether that applies to healthcare or not as I am not with Alberta Health Services and I don’t make those decisions.”

 

She added that council continuously looks at enhancing services and providing additional services where possible with providers both inside and outside our community. “We aren’t going to say who gets to come and who doesn’t. That’s not our job. I told both sides that we are here to promote business in our community because that’s our job to citizens.”

 

Chichak said a group was created in the last year with the purpose of improving health services in Whitecourt. Alberta Health Services along with local medical staff from the hospital and council meet to discuss ways to fill voids and increase health care delivery. “We support all our medical community members from our doctors, nurses, LPNs, and support staff. We have a great medical community here, and we look forward to working with them and seeing enhanced services coming to our community, also.”

 

Council thanked Dr. Ojedokun for taking the time to write the letter but were firm in their stance on being supportive of the entire medical community including those looking to join it.