Doctor distribution being examined by province

A review ofP.E.I.'s complement of doctors is taking place, says Health Minister Doug Currie.

It's been about 20 years since the model was drawn up outlining how many doctors should be in each area of the province, Currie says.

It's time to see if there is a better way of allocating resources due to population shifts over the years, he says.

"If you look at the Queens County area, we've got approximately 32- to 35-hundred Islanders that do not have access to a family physician and there's other areas of the province that there's no wait times for a family physician but may have a higher volume on the complement," said Currie.

"So all we are trying to do is to get a better appreciation for where we can best deploy the resources to meet the needs in our communities."

The review will look at specialists and family physicians, he says.

It will likely be complete by the end of the summer.