Huge demand expected as Gander doctors accept patients

A medical clinic in the central Newfoundland community of Gander was opening its phone lines and bracing itself Monday for a barrage of calls from people looking for a family physician.

The Gander Medical Clinic opted to take phone messages and accept applications by letter as a way to deal with the high demand expected with the arrival of two new doctors.

The last time a new doctor came to town, demand was so great that it became a public relations disaster when people were asked to line up to to register to become patients.

"We learned by our mistakes. We had a lineup all day in front of the clinic, and had basically the sick, and the elderly and everybody lined up out on the sidewalk for almost all day trying to register," said clinic manager Larry Dawson.

The clinic already has 150 letters from people looking for doctors. If, along with those who leave their name by phone, the clinic gets more than 2,000 names, a draw will be held.

Winnie Geange and her husband Maurice, a retired couple in Gander who haven't had a family doctor in two years, are hoping they'll be among the patients chosen.

"Since I lost my family physician I have to go down to the hospital to get my pills renewed, and like next week now, I have to go down again and wait maybe 3½ hours or so. It's been difficult, really," she said.