A major mining company operating in our region has made a $600-thousand contribution to physician recruitment at Timmins and District Hospital.
Agnico Eagle’s money matches the amount put up by both the City of Timmins and the hospital itself. It will all be used to provide a $60-thousand start-up grant to as many as 30 doctors.
Agnico operates three mines in the hospital’s catchment area: Detour Lake, north of Cochrane; Macassa in Kirkland Lake; and Upper Beaver, near KL.
Ontario vice-president André Leite says the company’s participation is partly because it anticipates increasing its workforce from the current 3,000 to 4,000 workers.
“To ensure that our people, not just the employees but their families and friends, everyone that lives here in Northern Ontario, will have a sustainable life here,” he says.
Chief of medical staff Dr. Doug Arnold says it’s of utmost importance for new recruits to feel welcome into the community where they’ll live and work, adding:
“This grant assists with our retention of physicians, as it demonstrates to our existing physicians that everyone is working hard to improve their workload by recruiting more physicians to shoulder the burden of care.”
TADH currently needs 20 more primary care doctors. More important to residents of its catchment area, it needs 25 specialists.
