Unlike today, there was no doctor shortage in Cochrane in 1999. But in this week’s local history feature, we learn that Lady Minto Hospital was taking a proactive approach to keeping it that way.
Town council heard form Dr. Sylvain Duchene, who was a member of the hospital’s physician recruitment committee. His deputation to council was reported in the Cochrane Times on November 26th. He said while Cochrane was blessed, it was getting more difficult to attract doctors to practice in the north.
Duchene reported that a young Cochranite who was soon to graduate was being aggressively courted to come home. That doctor-to-be was interested in obstetrics.
The provincial government had recently announced $70,000 for a strategy to address the decreasing number of doctors and other health professionals in the north.
Thanks to the Cochrane Public Library for its help with our history feature.
