Five new doctors opened their practice in Abitibi-Témiscamingue this summer.
The GPs and specialists settled in the region after being recruited by the Abitibi-Témiscamingue Integrated Health and Social Services Center (CISSS-AT).
However, recruiting remains a major challenge for the region.
dr François Aumond, Director of Professional Services, University Teaching and Clinical Relevance, explains why recruitment is complex but not impossible.
It is difficult to recruit them because Abitibi-Témiscamingue is not the first holiday destination, according to Dr. Aumond. There really are doctors who don’t know the region. So we take action, go to (job) fairs and respond to requests for visits from residents. There are also problems with daycare places, it can be difficult to keep them. But we have a good understanding between the hospitals.
A total of 185 general practitioners work in Abitibi-Témiscamingue.
François Aumond specifies that there are still a few positions to be filled at specialist level.
We have almost two hundred, but on the psychiatric side there are some vacancies, he explains. The same applies to ergology. In addition, two oncologists have yet to be filled. Now for the good news, we’ve had difficulties in radiology, but we have radiologists who will be joining over the next year to complete our staff.
Physicians sponsored by the CISSS-AT commit to practicing in the region for a period of three to five years.
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