Princeton’s medical team is getting ready to welcome another new doctor to the community.
A fifth doctor for the town is expected to arrive in the next couple of weeks, according to Ed Staples, president of the Support our Health Care Society (SOHC).
Princeton needs six doctors to fill its requirements, said Staples.
“I think we are certainly not where we want to be, but we’ve come a long way from six years ago. We are moving in the right direction.”
In 2013 there were just three physicians in Princeton and only one of them was able to work on-call. The emergency room at Princeton General Hospital was faced with closure four nights a week.
“That was really the tipping point. It was the last straw for the community and that’s what got several of us involved and that’s when we formed SOHC.”
There are still Princeton residents who do not have a family doctor, said Staples.
“You could say that about any community in this province, both urban and rural. It’s a province-wide problem and Princeton is really in a much better position than many communities. I think the reason for that is we have been working very closely together to try to improve our health care and make our community an attractive place for health care professionals.”
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