Kenora doctor pens Facebook rant over physician shortage

A family doctor in Kenora has taken to Facebook to voice his frustration at the community's doctor shortage.

Dr. Clay Hammett said he and his colleagues are already stretched thin, but recent healthcare cuts and the elimination of provincial incentives for new doctors to move north, will likely make the situation worse.

Hammett, who is a family physician and anaesthetist, wrote a letter to his patients on social media to raise awareness about the problem. He would also like to see the City of Kenora become a stronger advocate for better healthcare.

"I was trying to communicate basically with the community using the social media to say, 'look, we're not in great shape locally,'" he said.

"Hopefully what comes out of it is that people kind of rally together, and we get a bit more focused advocacy for our need for some more healthcare services in Kenora."

The situation could get worse because the province has done away with financial incentives and is instead trying to push doctors to move north by restricting new licences to areas such as Kenora, Hammett said in his post on Facebook.

He also pointed out a lack of specialists in the community forces patients to travel "an inordinate amount" for care and discourages new doctors from moving north.