Three Rivers mayor calls loss of 2 family doctors 'devastating' for eastern P.E.I.

People in eastern Prince Edward Island are concerned about the state of health care in the area after two family doctors based in Three Rivers announced their impending departures.

Dr. Thor Christensen will be going by the end of May and Dr. Alexander McKinnon by the end of June, leaving an additional 2,500residents of Kings Countywithout a family physician.

Michele Preece said McKinnon has been an "awesome" doctor for her husband, who is going through cancer.

"Now he's gone. It's horrible," she said, adding that her husband"needs his family doctor, so we don't know where he's going to fall to."

Three Rivers Mayor Debbie Johnston said she was devastated when she heard about the departures. There are nearly 30,000 people on P.E.I.'s patient registry waiting for a family doctor or nurse practitioner, including about 2,500 in Kings County.

The two doctors' departures will put another 2,300 or soon the list.

"So that will mean that there will be approximately 5,000 people in Three Rivers without a family doctor, including my own family.So it's pretty devastating," Johnston said.

Health P.E.I. says the loss of Christensen and MacKinnon will mean Kings County has 2.6 full-time equivalent family doctor positions vacant out of a complement of 14.

The agency said it continues to recruitfor family doctors and nurse practitioners in Kings County, and all patients of MacKinnon and Christensenwill be eligible for access to virtual carefor Islanders without a primary care provider.

Plans for new hospital

Johnston said she wants to meet with incoming Health Minister Mark McLane and Premier Dennis King to talk about finding solutions.

She hopes plans for a new Kings County Memorial Hospital will help entice doctors to set up practice in the area. The King government set aside money for that project in the 2021 budget, with work expected to get underway sometime in the 2022-2023 fiscal year.

Cheryl Chandler of Victoria Cross said whatever the solution, something needs to be done soon.

"I'm just worried for the older people that have medical issues, serious medical issues Hopefully it doesn't take a major tragedy for something to turn around."