An on-going doctors recruitment partnership between Saugeen Shores, Kincardine and Bruce Power, has come to an abrupt end.
The Municipality of Kincardine has, apparently, suddenly opted out of the program followed by Bruce Power that has been part of the funding for the recruitment model.
A Memorandum of Understanding was first signed in 2010 and was set to expire on December 31, 2020.
According to sources however, with the retirement of the Bruce Power recruitment officer, Kincardine wanted the recruiting process moved to the Duncan Hawthorne Health Clinic in Kincardine, with a ‘general manager’ to oversee the program. Apparently, when that didn’t take place, Kincardine decided to go it alone with doctor recruitment and to withdraw from the partnership giving up the sponsorship funding by Bruce Power.
At Saugeen Shores Council meeting on April 26th, the Town Director of Emergency Services, Phil Eagleson. thanked Bruce Power for its contributions to the partnership over the years and the success in Saugeen Shores with approximately 30 new doctors locating to the area.
Mayor Luke Charbonneau pointed out that Bruce Power has contributed over one million dollars during the last 11 years since the program was initiated. “We owe them a real debt of gratitude. At this point however, I am a little bit baffled by Kincardine’s decision to withdraw and this agreement signed with Bruce Power and the withdrawal is a little hard to understand why Kincardine wants to continue on without Bruce Power’s annual contribution of $40,000. Saugeen Shores remains a friend of the Municipality of Kincardine and hopefully, we can work together in the future but I can’t let this pass without saying it is disappointing.”
Charbonneau said that the partnership had been expected to carry on and that the abrupt end was confusing.
Vice-Deputy Mayor Mike Myatt who has been on the Doctors’ Recruitment Board for six years said that he was bewildered. “We had a good three-way partnership going and it is unfortunate that it ended this way. We are in pretty good shape right now and I am optimistic that we can come up with another model for doctor recruitment. Hopefully we can pull a rabbit out of a hat with another model to follow but this is troublesome.”
Council Jami Smith, also a member of the Doctors’ Recruitment Board, shared that she, too, is “confused and bewildered”. “My commitment to retention and recruitment of physicians remains unwavering however … we have seen some great success lately and we would remiss not to appreciate the role that our existing physicians have played. They are key to the retention and ultimately the recruitment of future physicians. I am very confident that those committed to this cause will change determined efforts to it.”
Mayor Charbonneau added that he has no doubt that Bruce Power remains committed to supporting the health care system. “I hope that we will find a way to partner with them in the future.”
