When St. Albert resident Phyllis Robertson heard her husband’s physician was leaving the province, she was deeply concerned. For years, the doctor had provided crucial support and care for Robertson’s husband, Duncan, a brain hemorrhage and stroke survivor.
The doctor had left a letter to his patients explaining his departure, saying he was returning home to Europe to be closer to his family. Due to a mix-up, Robertson didn’t receive the letter, but instead heard the news when she went to fill a prescription and was informed by a pharmacist.
“He was a real treasure,” Robertson said of the physician who left. “My husband and I had thought we would never need another physician in our lifetime. It was really difficult to see him go.”
Once Robertson began looking for a replacement, she said she started to feel like she was confronting a larger issue.
“I was making phone call after phone call,” Robertson said. “One person I spoke to from Alberta Health Services let me know this is not just a local problem, but there was a general pattern of physicians leaving the province, and I started to feel intimidated. I thought, ‘Where am I with this?’”
Dr. Paul Boucher, the president of the Alberta Medical Association, said his organization has heard many stories of physicians leaving Alberta over the past year, but said precise data to back up these anecdotes is “harder to come by.”
For example, he said registration for medical licenses through the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta might not be an indicator.
“I know a number of physicians who have left but are keeping their Alberta licenses — at least for a time — because they’re uncertain about what the future holds,” Boucher said.
He added, however, data might only tell part of the story.
“If Calgary loses three doctors, that’s felt very differently than if St. Albert loses the same amount,” Boucher said.
Heather Faulkner has been looking for a physician in St. Albert since her previous doctors left for another clinic.
“I’ve never found it terribly easy to find a good physician,” Faulkner said. “I started phoning around, and found nobody is taking patients.”
According to Faulkner, it has been particularly difficult to find a doctor who is also a woman. She said in the past, she has felt some of her issues have been overlooked or ignored by doctors who are men.
“I almost feel like giving up,” Faulkner said. “My husband thinks what I should be doing is going to a walk-in clinic, but when you want someone who understands your history, that doesn’t seem like the solution.”
AMA sees rise in physician retirement
Another important reason why more people could be having trouble finding physicians in Alberta is a recent increase in retirement, Boucher said.
According to him, the medical association has seen retired doctor registrations double over the past year. Boucher hypothesized that these retirements could be related to the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We've seen lots of small businesses go under in Alberta this past year, and community clinics are small businesses, too,” Boucher said. “Patients weren't coming in unless the reason was very urgent.”
Once physicians in Alberta retire, Boucher said pandemic uncertainty, the economy in Alberta, and the association's relationship with the provincial government, could all contribute to other doctors being hesitant to take the place of physicians who have retired.
The medical association has been negotiating compensation with the Alberta government since 2019. On Feb. 26 of this year, the it reached a tentative agreement with the government that it ultimately failed to ratify. Since then, Boucher said the organization has been working toward a “more productive relationship” with the government.
“The tone has really changed in the last number of months and I’m really optimistic,” Boucher said.
Still, he said, the effects of what he called a tumultuous past might just be seen now.
“Departures are choices that are not made quickly,” Boucher said. “It’s often a heartbreaking decision for a doctor to leave both their community and their practice.”
Robertson eventually did find a physician for her husband, but only after the clinic her own physician is located in reconsidered after originally turning the couple away.
“If they had not decided to rethink, I honestly don’t know where I would have stood,” Robertson said. “We were lucky, but what about others who aren’t? What are they left with?”
She said ultimately, the health-care system has been there for her and her husband when they needed it most.
“For those of us who are unfortunate enough to really need the health-care system, we are fortunate to know it can absolutely be there and we have great resources” Robertson said. “We just need to keep it stable, if not progressing upwards.”
