City committee recommends creating doctor marketing and advocacy plan

From the recent medical school graduates he has spoken to, he told council that many are not simply looking for a job, but a place to settle down that would be a good fit for their families.

That, Dr. Auld believes, is the reason that they have been successful in their recent international graduate sponsorship program, receiving more than 100 applications for five-year sponsorships.

Councillor Mark Campbell asked if there needed to be more financial incentives for doctors to come to Lethbridge, but Dr. Auld said they have not needed to resort to additional incentives, at least when it comes to international applicants.

AHS and CPCN are planning to meet next week to sort out more details of what the marketing plan would entail.

As for the $15,000 ask, Dr. Auld says it is a good starting point that should attract more money from other groups.

The second part of the SPC’s decision was to write a letter to Health Minister Jason Copping, advocating for the creation of an Academic Teaching Clinic in Lethbridge.

While recruiting more international doctors is a good short-term solution to the city’s physician shortage, Dr. Auld says building a facility where both locals and non-locals can train would be an effective long-term strategy.

Mayor Blaine Hyggen says Copping should already be aware of the desire for an Academic Teaching Clinic as he brought it up with the minister during Copping’s visit to Lethbridge last December.

The last item the SPC voted on directs the city manager to explore opportunities for collaboration and partnerships with AHS and the CPCN.

This is also viewed as a long-term strategy that would hopefully lead to several new medical clinics opening in the years to come.

It was suggested that the City of Lethbridge partner in a number of ways including leasing city-owned facilities for the purpose of setting up family medical practices, exploring space requirements for future clinics, and providing financial incentives in the form of tax cancellation or grants.

Dr. Auld’s presentation to the SPC also included an update on current efforts related to doctor recruitment.

He said as many as 11 international graduates might be moving to Lethbridge this year, six of whom indicated a preference for working in youth mental health and three in pain management.

The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta (CPSA) also released its latest quarterly report on physician resources in Alberta for January 1, 2022, to March 31, 2022.

In the first quarter of this year, there were 276 fully registered physicians practicing in Lethbridge. This marks a decrease of 13 doctors from the previous quarter or a reduction of 4.5%.

The city has also seen a 5.8% reduction in doctors, or 17, from the same time last year.

The South Zone as a whole saw similar drops. Across the region, 31 physicians left over the last year, leaving 568 doctors remaining.

by David Opinko

City committee recommends creating doctor marketing and advocacy plan

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