The start of paying for the Olmypics in the north.

Ya because without the Olympics doctors would be racing to live in a place like Mackenzie. Doctors leave Mackenzie for the same reason they leave PG, quality of life (or lack thereoff). Doctors in the North make significantly more than their lower mainland counterparts.

Leave it to a lefty to link two things that have absolutely nothing to do with each other if it serves their agenda.

I don't think the olympics have anything to do with doctors not wanting to be in Mackenzie.

yep, all these naysayer, yet nobody comes out and votes. Talks cheap, still take money to buy whiskey.

To the last three posters -- Bingo!

The shortage of Doctors in Mackenzie is not new news... has nothing to do with the Olymipics at all..

There is a shortage of doctors everywhere in the North. Thank you Liberals.

There are certain things that governments could do to try and increase the number of doctors and/or encourage them to work in remote locations:

- Make the costs related to becoming a doctor lower, thereby encouraging more people to become doctors (lower tuition, subsidize costs for people in those programs, interest free loans for tuition, etc.)
- Have different wage scales for docs working in remote locations and/or incentive packages, tax credits, etc.
- Ensure that facilities are adequately funded and supported so that doctors could practise their trades in those remote locations (this takes an "overall" approach though because you have to ensure you also have proper coverage for nurses, anesthesiologists, etc.)

That said, we also have to come to terms with the reality that most people graduating from medical schools these days don't want to live in places like Mackenzie, Fort St. James, Vanderhoof, etc.

Canada is increasingly becoming a primarily urban country and despite what people in small communities and cities may think, the overwhelming majority of our population is found in major cities like Vancouver, Calgary, Ottawa, Montreal, etc. These places have the bulk of the opportunities because of their size and that's where most people choose to live.

It's going to become increasingly difficult for small centres to attract and keep people and that's just the reality of what we're faced with. That's one of the reasons why we should do everything we can to transform our city and turn it into a place where people WANT to live instead of a place that people just move to out of necessity. We also really need to take advantage of our location and leverage that position as a true regional centre. The Cancer Care Clinic is a good example. It sounds bad, but perhaps we need to poach more doctors and professionals from outlying communities in order to keep those people in our overall region. At least if we can offer comprehensive services out of PG, it gives the region the opportunity to attract these professionals. If all we have is a bunch of limited service hospitals in our area, the people will eventually leave for where the opportunities are.

There are not enough seats available for those wanting to become a doctor and the limited number are very difficult to get. There are also a ton of foreign doctors who cannot get accredited to work here which I suspect maybe because of stalling by the college of doctors. Maybe it is genuine concern about there credentials and fair enough. It is sad we have many very bright students who desperately want to become a doctor but no seats for them. Maybe one day Canada will deal with this problem as its just going to get worse when you look at the demographics.

I can truly understand why people do not want to live in Mackenzie. If you are not really into the outdoors in a big way, Mackenzie has very little to offer. No real night life to speak of, sub par restaurants, no theaters, limited choices when it comes to buying groceries...

Mackenzie has and always will be an industrial town. That kind of environment attracts a certain demographic. Unless there is a doctor out there who is willing to embrace what the north country has to offer filling those positions will remain a difficult task.

You have all forgotten - "Save Mackenzie" Pat Bell stated planes would be flying out of there back and forth to the oil sand for all the unemployed workers- I wonder if that is where the doctors have gone?

Having lived in Mackenzie and having had to move 2 1/2 years ago now, doctor shortages are not something new. Doctor shortages are everywhere even in the cities. Less and less doctors are getting into family medicine, many are becoming specialized. A specialized doctor can not use his skills in Mackenzie. Mackenzie Hospital is a beautiful little assesment station, where if there is something seriously wrong you are sent to PG or Van to get further treatment.

The previous person is correct in saying unless you love the outdoors and small town living (which I did) Mackenzie is not a place where a professional is going to stay longer term. They are staying long enough to get a practice in a more desirable location. More school options, entertainment etc.

Scary that now there is not even emergancy care to get you out of town though!

I think for the smaller more remote areas more training should be given to the nurses. Maybe look at going back to nurse practitioners.

Anybody ever watch that tv program about the fictional small alaska town of Sicily?
The town paid for a guy (Dr. Joel...) to go to med school, in return he had to pay back by being the town doctor for a certain length of time.
Why would'nt that work here? or Mackenzie? or any other rural centre?
I bet it would cost less than a new RCMP station to fund a few aspiring doctors until they get their papers, and then we have them, at least for a few years anyway.
If they made it an ongoing thing, we would have a constant flow of new Docs, and some of them might even grow to like the good people of the town, potholes and dirty air and decide to stay on, it's happened to others. I suppose this idea is far too quaint to become a reality, but I like it.
metalman.