Residents from across midwestern Ontario started lining up outside the Walkerton Legion at 5 a.m. Wednesday for a shot at getting a family doctor.
“Got here about 5:30 [a.m.] I’ve been on the Health Care Connect list for about 10 years now. Haven’t had a doctor for longer than that. So, kind of a strange way to have people sign up for a doctor, but hopefully I get one,” said Drew Rankin, from Kincardine.
Hundreds of people from as far away as Owen Sound braved snowsqualls and frigid temperatures for the opportunity to become a patient of Walkerton’s newest doctor, Dr. Mitch Currie.
The Brockton and Area Family Health Team, which organized the sign up, said the first 500 people in line will be accepted as his patients, the next 500 will be put on a waiting list for another family physician expected to start their practice later this year.
“I’ve been with Health Connect for six years looking for a family doctor. And this is the first thing that they’ve actually found sort of thing, to come and stand in line. So that’s the way that that administrative system works. It’s unfortunate,” said Terry Kohler from Walkerton.
“It’s a bit unconventional. I’ve talked with a few people and it kind of eliminates the people that might need it. People with some disabilities, single parents, people that have to go to work. There could have been some other ways to do it, but I’m here hopeful for a doctor,” said Stephanie Canfield from Lucknow.
Even members of Brockton’s Physician Recruitment Committee called Wednesday’s sign-up lineup an “imperfect process.”
Speaking on behalf of that committee, Dr. Paul McArthur said, “There is no easy or perfect way to do this, but it will be done as fairly as we can manage and within the guidelines of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario. We want to recognize the frustration that many may experience if they are not a successful applicant this time. We would like to clone Mitch and solve all of Ontario’s orphan patient problems, but this is not feasible at this time.”
An estimated 2.3 million Ontarians don’t have a family doctor. Like the people in line in Walkerton, many have been without a family doctor for years, a decade for some. So, they are braving the cold because they’re desperate.
“Been in the area eight years. Moved here from Alberta and haven’t had one (a family doctor) since I got here,” said Will Patterson from Kincardine, who was sixth in line after arriving shortly after 5 a.m.
“I need a doctor. Been on the list like so many others. And this opportunity came up. Someone gave me a heads up about it, so I followed it, and yeah, I’m here,” said Betty Ann King, who arrived from Owen Sound at 5:15 a.m. to wait in line.
“Me and my family, we need a family doctor. We’ve moved. We’ve been without for a while, and I have two young kids,” said a mother of two from Lucknow.
“Somebody could have been here handing out numbers instead of people standing out here, you know, for four or five hours. But maybe we’re the crazy ones sitting out here for four or five hours waiting for a doctor,” said Ken Johnson from Chesley.
“It’s a bit crazy to have a system that looks like this, to stand out here on a day like this. I can do that sort of thing. I’m reasonably able bodied and stuff like that. I think it’s kind of unfortunate. I know there’s a lot of people in town that are probably not here today that can’t get a doctor, and this is just not the type of thing that’s going to work for them,” said Kohler from Walkerton.
For those that were successful in securing their spot on the new doctor’s list, waking up in the middle of the night and waiting in the cold was well worth it.
“I’m glad I came as early as I did. I was anticipating a long line up, but to see the line up is kind of, sort of even shocking, even though I anticipated it. But yeah, I’m very grateful,” said King from Owen Sound, who was one of the first in and out of the door.
However, for those that didn’t make it or gave up when they saw the line wrapping around the block, it was a frustrating morning.
“Five-hundred people to get a doctor. I mean, it’s insane. This is just not what the medical health care system is supposed to be like in Ontario. I’m absolutely disgusted by our medical system having people do this,” said Lisa, who left in disgust after seeing the long lineup.
After opening the doors to the Legion around 9:15 a.m., the 1,000 patient limit was reached by 11:45 a.m., said Lindsay Nelson, business manager for the Brockton and Area Family Health Team.
She said only 10 to 15 people were turned away, but everyone else who waited in line is either rostered with the new family doctor, Dr. Mitchell Currie, or on a waiting list for the next physician coming to Walkerton later this year.