High-Physician Need In Northeastern Ontario

By Stew Kernan

Good news for communities in the Northeast who are struggling to attract new family doctors.

The Northeast Local Health Integration Network has been successful in getting this area designated as one of high-physician need.

Dr. Paul Preston, the Primary Care Lead for the L-H-I-N says the numbers don’t lie.

Close to 12% of the population in the northeast don’t have a family doctor, which is double the provincial average.

Under the new provincial guidelines, physicians can only apply for new practise sports at Family Health Teams in areas of high-needs designation.