Bait as Heavier Pockets for Doctors to Fort McMurray Hospitals

Local authorities have chalked out a plan to support doctors sagging under the pressure of overwork in Fort McMurray, Alberta.

The region one of the booming oil sands areas is seeing an enormous rush of people. Around 73, 000 people are presently stationed in the region and many others comprise floating population.

There is a severe shortage of doctors and nurses leading to burn out among the present medical staff.

As of now, about 30 to 35 such patients come to the hospital each day and must be taken on and cared for by the doctor on call.

These doctors already have their own full practices and are busy looking after additional people, many who have complex health issues since they haven’t seen a doctor in years.

Heath Minister of the Alberta province, Dave Hancock announced a plan to ease the solution.

Under the plan, doctors from other parts of the province will assist physicians in Fort McMurray in providing on-call physician services at the local hospital to residents without a family doctor. Previously, local doctors alone had been filling this role in addition to their work at their individual practices.

“This plan will provide support to local doctors who have been working so hard to provide quality care to residents,” says Hancock.

Doctors from other regions of Alberta agreeing to attend calls at hospitals in Fort Mc Murray will be paid $1200 per day in addition to fully paid travel and accommodation.

Alberta Health is also tripling the extra daily pay for local doctors to $500 in hopes of preventing them from burning out from providing on-call hospital care.

The province is also sending a study group to the region to work on a long-term solution to the crush of patients at Fort McMurray hospitals.

Source-Medindia
ANN