NOTL doctor shortage down to two

Niagara-on-the-Lake is short two family physicians, council was told Tuesday night.

Jill Croteau, NIagara Region Public Health’s physician recruitment and retention specialist, spoke to NOTL councillors about the shortage, providing region-wide statistics but also insight about the local community’s needs.  

There are 274 physicians in Niagara, but there should be 380 – leaving the region behind by 106 family doctors, she said.  

Of those 274 doctors, 14 per cent of them are over age 65, she said, also noting that the Region’s program monitors upcoming retirements to fill gaps.  

This year, 26 new doctors have been recruited, some who have already started practices in the region, and others set to begin taking patients this month and into October.  

“We’ve made great strides with bringing new doctors into the community,” she said, adding that a statistic regarding “unattached” patients, people who don’t have a family doctor, will be best calculated at the end of 2024 once the new incoming physicians have their practices running.  

There are 20 doctors currently accepting patients through Niagara Region’s Find a Doctor page, she said.

Niagara-on-the-Lake has a population slightly more than 20,000, and based on a formula presented by Croteau to councillors and staff on Tuesday, there are 6.35 physicians available per 10,000 residents.  

Based on a family practice typically having an average of 1,380 patients, she arrived at the final number of NOTL needing two more doctors.

The town recently recruited a nurse practitioner, which was not part of her recruitment program, she explained. 

Coun. Wendy Cheropita said the community is fortunate to have its recently acquired nurse practitioner, who has been a “bright light” in a recent “health journey” of her own.  

“They are a really valuable addition to our healthcare system,” she said.  

Coun. Sandra O’Connor thanked Croteau and public health for their work, but pointed out Croteau’s statement that the community is “in a healthy position,” might not be the case given the town’s senior population, the highest in the region.

“When you have seniors, there’s more complex health issues, and more time is needed to deal with these,” she said, adding she believes the stats of how many doctors needed locally are “not a good indicator” of the real picture.